


To The Other Side

by StarlightAlien



Series: The Oasis and the Island Series [3]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Baby Hollstein, F/F, Hollstein - Freeform, Light Smut, domestic hollstein, loads of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-03-18 15:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13684473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightAlien/pseuds/StarlightAlien
Summary: The third and last look at Laura and Carmilla family progressing takes time somewhere in the future after Riley's first birthday.





	1. Sowing The Seeds Of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new start for a known road, but this time Carmilla is in the most delicate position, while Laura has to face new challenges with her wife on the other side of motherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you’ve been waiting for this for a long while and since it's Valentine's Day I though this should be a perfect day to start the third and last part of this fantastic journey. 
> 
> The very first chapter of The Oasis and the Island fic was posted on August 17th 2015, so it’s been 2 years and a half since I entered the world of these amazing characters that I borrowed from the web series Carmilla. A lot had happened in my life since then (good and bad) I had no idea how a “simple” fanfic would change so much myself, but it did, and I’m grateful for what it means to me.
> 
> I don’t have a schedule, and not so much free time to update it. So I can only promise at least one chapter every month, maybe once every two weeks, it all depends of my mood and of course, some of your comments helps too ;)  
>   
> This is my Valetine’s gift for you :*
> 
> (please don't mind my mistakes since english is not my first language)

**Chapter 1 – Sowing The Seeds Of Love**

 

“As you can see, this is not just a simple matter of right or wrong. This goes way beyond any ethics dilemma one can have…” said Carmilla leaned on her large desk, facing all of her students. “To do what is best for person A can result in a disaster for person B, but at the same time save the person C. What would you choose?”

An eager student raised her hand. Carmilla gestured for the student to speak.

“If I’m saving one instead of two, this is the best choice.”

Carmilla tilted her head to side, keeping her eyes focused on the student. “What if person B is your best friend, while person A and C are strangers?”

The same student raised her hand again. “I should apply the Categorical Imperative.”

“And how would you do that, Helena?” asked Carmilla in a challenging tone.

“Well… first I would make sure to use the reason and go in the right direction-“

“What right direction?” said Carmilla cutting her off.

“The one according to the reason.”

“Based on…?”

The student got confused for some seconds while the rest of the few students in the big classroom were loudly sighing.

“The time is up for today” said Carmilla shifting forward. “Don’t forget the reading for tomorrow.”

In a matter of seconds the 20 students were packing their things up and leaving the room except for Helena, who walked to Carmilla’s desk.

“Mrs. Hollis, can I have a minute of your time?”

“I’m sorry Helena, but I don’t have the time now” said Carmilla not making eye contact with the student. “You can come by my office on any Wednesday around 2 in the afternoon. “

“Alright, Mrs. Hollis” said the student in a frustrated tone.

Carmilla gave her a last look with a nod and left the place.

 

*******

 

Carmilla was pacing around the hallway, arms crossed, rigid posture. She looked up to a clock on the wall then pull out her cellphone. Nothing new on the screen. The fear crawling up slowly her skin, started to turn into pure panic. Time was against her and time was something very important in that moment. She wished she could control it, or at least control all the rest of the equation of what was about to happen, but it was useless. The only thing she could do, she did: be there on time. All the rest was not up to her and that very notion was a sort of frustration she could not deal as well as she wanted to. She tried to apply all of her knowledge on that very simple and the same time complex matter. But all the years of studying seemed to fade out from her mind, like she imagined it happened with most of her students who stuttered in class after a simple question of something so basic as the alphabet. 

Years of studying and having to face her mother again after all of the ungrateful years to ask for an opportunity. Of all the Universities in California, the only one close enough to her family was exactly the one she didn’t want to set foot ever again. It was the same place she went to get her undergraduate degree. And the one she got her masters, starting right after her PhD process. Of course she could not spend hours in traffic or even move to another city after setting roots deeply in Silas. It would not be fair to any of them, to suffer from her absence because she could not swallow her pride. That was the things she did for her family. Things that made her more mature and tolerant. It was hard, but it was possible. It was something she could control and understand. Unlike that very moment.

 

“I’m so, so, sorry” said Laura coming running to meet her.

“Finally, Laura!” Carmilla grabbed her wife’s hand shutting down all of her thoughts at once and leading them down the hall “They are waiting for us.”

“I know, I know, but something was up-“

“Wedding emergency, nothing new” said Carmilla dryly. Another thing she would never underestimate.

“Come on! Don’t be mean” said Laura stopping in place, forcing Carmilla to stop too.

“We can’t get any more late” said Carmilla irritated.

“Carmilla, just stop” said Laura firmly.

With pain in her eyes, Carmilla looked up to Laura, that fear taking control of all of her being. That fear she feared most was winning again, making her feel so weak and small. Laura approached her, enlacing her arms around Carmilla, like she could see all of that crashing inside her wife.

“This is not how we are supposed to do this, okay? I know you are nervous, it’s normal and even expected in a situation like this, just don’t let it take control of you.”

Carmilla let out a long breath, the stiffness in her body as stubborn as herself.

“Come here” said Laura, giving a complete and tight hug on Carmilla. “Everything is going to be okay. We have being preparing for this for a long time now. Let’s not lose our heads over some minor obstacles.”

“I’ve invested so much in this, I just can’t…”said Carmilla in a voice so weak as a whisper.

“I know my love, I’m sorry.” Laura hugged her tighter. “I’m here now, everything will be okay. Okay?” Laura leaned back, looking at her wife with tears threating to shed from her eyes.

“Okay” said Carmilla, feeling the tension built in her body being released. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Laura dropped her arms from Carmilla, taking her hand and giving Carmilla a warm smile and a peck on her lips. “So let’s go there and get you pregnant.”

 

*******

 

“That was so weird…” Carmilla said as soon as Laura and she were alone in the clinic’s office after the insemination procedure was done.

Laura features turned soft, revealing a smile that brought a familiar sensation to Carmilla. She didn’t know if it was the hormonal medication she was having lately, or just really a thing of the moment, but Laura seemed extra pretty for her. There was something of an angelical aura around her that touched a very specific and so far dark spot on Carmilla.

“That’s funny you saying that” said Laura sitting on a large chair next to the bed Carmilla was laying waiting for a proper moment before they could leave the place.

“Funny how?” A short confusing moment hit Carmilla. Was she reading the situation wrong?

“Well, that’s exactly the same thing I said to Perry after I was done with the procedure when I got pregnant with Riley.” Laura sighed, leaning her back on the chair, taking Carmilla’s left hand and placing it between her two hands. “Weird is the best word to describe it.”

That made a lot more sense to Carmilla. They barely started that journey, but she could feel how she was connecting with Laura in a whole new level. Laura had been in her place before her. She really knew exactly how Carmilla was feeling.

Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hands on her. That connection felt more real. “Maybe not the best word, but I really can’t find anything more appropriated.”

“True.”

Carmilla squeezed the hand one more time and took in that moment. Laura was still looking at her with kind eyes, making the weirdness seems much lighter. And she kept thinking about how Laura had being on the same place as her, suddenly it hit her.

“When you did the procedure, back then, you did it all by yourself?” She feared the answer of that question, but she knew she had to ask.

Laura nodded, her eyes lost in thoughts for a second. “Yep. It was just me for the procedure. And Perry was the only other person who knew about it.”

Carmilla felt something inside of her breaking a little. Unfortunately she was right. She was not exactly in the same position as Laura was before her. Laura was there, holding her hand, giving her the sweetest smile and the kindest words. But there was no one doing that for Laura, back in the day. And she could not imagine herself doing that all alone, like Laura did. “I wish I could be there with you.”

Laura gave her a loving smile, undoing a little the tear in her heart. “We are here now, together. And I’m grateful for that. Don’t worry about the past.” Laura kissed Carmilla’s hand.

A new sentiment was being born into Carmilla’s heart. As she was seeing Laura in a bright new light, knowing her wife went on this tough journey all by herself and kept choosing to do it even after the rejection of her former girlfriend, Carmilla found a new admiration of Laura’s strength she never saw before. She felt unbelievably lucky and blessed.

“I’m grateful for you too, Cupcake.”

 

After the right time, Carmilla and Laura were heading back home. Carmilla laid down on the living room couch and closed her eyes for a while. The feeling of weirdness of the procedure gave place to the tenderness Laura has left in her.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she felt a little hand brushing her cheek.

“Are you okay, Mama?”

Carmilla opened her eyes softly, visioning a very concerned face before her.

“Hey, big boy, how are you?” she said in a sleepy voice she barely recognized.

“Are you sick?” insisted the worried boy.

“No, Mama is not sick. I’m just a bit tired.” She grabbed his hand on her face and gave it a kiss. “How was school?”

“It was good.”

“Did you do something fun?”

“Yes” he said getting some joy in his eyes “Ms. Claire showed us our own pet class, it’s a ferret and now we have to give it a name, so I need to think about a name so tomorrow we will say our names and choose the best name to the ferret.”

Carmilla laughed internally. Laura would always comment how Riley was very like Carmilla, but she knew that was not case. At least not all the time. His babbling moments were a perfect copy of Laura’s. Like mother, like son.

“That’s really nice, Riley. Have you chosen a name yet?”

Riley made a thinking face “I think… Donuts. Because I love donuts.”

Carmilla chuckled, sitting up on the couch. Of course food would be involved. “You’re just like your Mommy.”

“Mommy said I’m more like you.”

“If we are talking about sweets, you two are really two peas in a pod.”

“We are peas?”

Carmilla chuckled feeling more at easy. It amazed her how everyday there would be something new to teach Riley. It could be a simple task as to tie a shoe, or complex as to explain a metaphor. Raising a child could be a hard work sometimes, but never a boring one for sure.

“It’ means you are very closer, like two grains of peas when they are still a very green and young plant.”

“You’re weird, Mama.”

Carmilla stood up taking Riley’s arms and giving a harmful slap on his butt. “It’s time to take a shower, go ahead little pea, I’ll check on you soon.”

“Okay” Riley said taking the stairs up.

Carmilla walked to the kitchen finding Laura busy with the cooking. She sat on the stool on the kitchen island, placing her elbows on the countertop. She never got tired to look at Laura stressfully preparing any kind of food.

“How are you feeling?” asked Laura still paying the attention to the task in front of her.

“Just tired.” Carmilla yawned. “Riley thought I was sick.”

“Oh Riley! He needs to tak-“

“Take a shower, yeah, I told him to go ahead, I’ll check him in a minute.”

Laura took a quick look at Carmilla before putting the lid on the pot. Carmilla noticed she was taking a deep breath. 

“Something’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Laura shook her head, looking back to Carmilla. “Nothing. Can you check on Riley now? I know he wants to shower by himself but he is not doing a great work at cleaning himself properly.”

“Sure” said Carmilla standing up, still clueless about the reason of her wife signal of irritation.

 

*******

 

“Dinner was perfect” said Carmilla taking the dishes from the table.

“Let me take care of that” said Laura taking the plates from Carmilla.

“No need, Cupcake, you know the rules.” Carmilla dodged from Laura continuing her cleaning process. “If you cook I clean, if I cook you clean.”

“But I think it’s better if you, you know, rest and let me do this.”

Carmilla chucked “I’m not even pregnant yet and you are already been all overprotective of me.”

“You what Mama?” asked Riley, who was about to leave the table.

The two mothers looked at each other with widen eyes.

“Mama is just tired, Riley” said Laura going in Riley’s direction “Let’s brush your teeth and have some story time.”

He just nodded while Laura was taking his hand.

 

*******

 

“We should talk to him” said Laura after closing the bedroom door behind her.

Carmilla looked up from her book, tucked under the covers. “He asked something about the P word?”

Laura approached the bed and got herself under the covers. “No, but he is onto something.” She fluffed a pillow and pointed in Carmilla’s direction. “He asked me how he was born.”

Carmilla gave Laura a significant look before moving her back, allowing Laura to place the pillow behind her. “It’s been a while since the last time we talked to him about it. He barely understood the concept of pregnancy, let alone remember the word.”

“Yes, but now he is in school, he is absorbing more things and…” She leaned on the bed board “He is about to turn 6. I think he is mature enough to have that talk again. And about a little brother or sister coming his way.”

Carmilla dropped the book on the nightstand. “Don’t you think we should wait to be expecting before give him the news?”

“If we tell him now, he will be getting used to the idea of being a big brother.”

A small shade of worry appeared on Carmilla’s face. “But what if I can’t get pregnant and then we have to ruin his expectations? This will be much harder to deal with…”

Laura put her hand on Carmilla’s arm. “You’re going to get pregnant, Carm.”

“We cannot know that” said Carmilla with a twitch in her voice. “We have three vials, if none of them work it’s the end.”

“No, it’s not.” Laura gave Carmilla a light squeeze. “Something tells me you’re going to have this child, Carm-“

“But-“

“And if you not, we have other options, like adoption, okay?” Laura locked her eyes on Carmilla’s. “This is just the first day of this journey, we have a lot ahead of us, just please, think positive.”

Carmilla nodded, giving Laura a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

Laura smiled with the kiss. “Thanks for what?”

“For doing that with me.”

Laura chuckled. “You don’t have to thank me, silly girl. That’s what be a family is all about.”

Carmilla sighed. “This silly girl here is turning 30 very soon. I feel so old.”

Laura bumped her elbow on Carmilla “Excuse me, old lady. If turning 30 makes you old, what about me?”

“It makes you my cougar” said Carmilla making a roar sound.

“You’re lucky that you are carrying a precious cargo inside of you right now, because I would give you a proper punishment, bad wife.”

“What kind of punishment?” said Carmilla with a tease tone, displaying a smirk on her face.

“Oh no, lady killer, this is really not the moment for you to give me those seductive eyes.” Laura slid her body under the cover, laying her head over a pillow.

“What seductive eyes? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Carmilla mirrored Laura and got her face at the same level as her wife. “This is the face of a very concerned future pregnant person.”

Laura shook her head. “Come here” she said approaching Carmilla, laying her head above Carmilla’s chest and placing her hand on Carmilla’s belly. “Let me do my part and send my love to our future child.”

Carmilla felt her heart melting. There was no other perfect person in the universe as Laura to be by her side. She enlaced her arms around Laura, giving a last kiss on her head. “Good night, Cupcake.”

“Good night, Carm.”

 

*******

 

It’s was 2 O’clock in the afternoon when Carmilla heard a knock on her office door. She looked up at the clock on the wall and confirmed the time. There was only one person who would do something like this.

“Come in”

And entering the room came Helena, her short-tempered student from Philosophy 101. Bingo.

“Hello, Professor Hollis” said Helena in a serious tone. Carmilla gestured for her to sit.

“You can take a sit, Helena”

“Thank you.”

Carmilla kept looking at the paper on her hands while the student took a moment to check on Carmilla’s desk noticing a stack of papers to be grad and a frame with the picture of a very happy Laura and Carmilla holding hands with a tiny Riley.

“I have no idea you had a toddler and a wife…?” said Helena still amazed by the picture.

“I bet you were expecting me to be married to a vampire or some male creepy urban legend” said Carmilla dropping the papers and looking up at her student.

“Of course I would not, I mean…” the girl stuttered a bit. “You don’t seem to be the kind of family person, that’s all.”

Carmilla took the frame on her hands, imagining that soon someone else would be part of that picture too. “This is an old picture, my son is about to turn six. Time really flies by.”

“Why are you so harsh to me in class?” asked Helena, demonstrating that even herself was surprised by her own question.

Carmilla placed the frame back in its place and leaned her back in her chair, examining the face of her student. The lean girl with dark straight hair and blue eyes could be physically the opposite of her wife, but the girl’s eagerness in class and the boldness in her actions was a very Laura thing for sure. The naivety and short life experience so obvious in her, made Carmilla think that should be a very legit image of Laura in her college years.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m sorry, that’s not really what I wanted to ask.”

Carmilla knew how the girl would react to her bluntness. Shaking voice, checked. Hands she could not know where to place, checked. It was too easy.

“So, what do you want to ask me, Helena Jonson?”

And as Carmilla kept staring her student with a dare look, Helena seemed to get smaller by Carmilla’s intensity.

“Nevermind” said the student standing up and leaving the room.

Carmilla just shook her head and got her attention back to the stack in front of her.

 

*******

 

“It’s taking forever for them to calls us” said Laura dropping a pack of pasta inside of a shopping cart.

“Now you’re the one anxious” said Carmilla reading the label of a cookie package.

“If you just had peed in a stick this morning we would not be having this conversation right now.”

“I’m sorry, but I refuse to lay my expectation on a very poor piece of plastic.”

“It worked for me, as you can see” said Laura pointing to Riley who as coming with another pack of cookies.

“What about this one, Mama?”

“You can have it” said Laura giving Carmilla a smirk.

Carmilla rolled her eyes, placing the pack in her hand back to the self, while Riley celebrated putting the cookies inside of the cart.

“And to think that one day you were the one worried that I would be cool mom and you the bad one.”

“You’re the one who is trying too hard lately to be so health and all of that” Laura approached Carmilla’s face very closer. “Who are you and what you did with my wife?”

“I’m her evil unknown twin sister” said Carmilla with a deadpan face “Carmilla is locked in a basement of a haunted house somewhere in Texas.”

“That’s explain a lot.” Laura bumped her shoulder on Carmilla’s “now I understand why Carmilla became such a terrible kisser out of nowhere.”

“Terrible kisser, really?”

Laura bit her lower lip, giving Carmilla a very sassy look. “And such a prude.”

As Laura turned and took a step away from Carmilla, she got surprised by the swift motion of her wife pulling her arm and bring Laura to her arms to give her a very sassy kiss.

“Not bad, stranger” said Laura giving a last peck on Carmilla and turning to Riley and “And you, little Muffin, is going with me to choose something healthy, Mama is right.”

Carmilla chuckled, following them with her eyes, not noticing a person coming in her direction distracted by a cellphone in hands.

“Oh, I’m sorry” said the girl after bumping her elbow in Carmilla’s arm. 

Carmilla cursed under her breath.

“Oh, hey Professor Hollis” said awkwardly the girl finally looking up, while Carmilla was swallowing her F words. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine” Carmilla let out, brushing her hair and crossing her arms. The girl was her student Helena. From all the people in the supermarket to bump on her, of course it would be her most annoying student.

“I was really distracted, I’m really sorry” Helena was gesturing with her hands, almost touching Carmilla’s shoulder in a soothing way, but she held her natural response for the act.

“No harm, no foul” Carmilla reassured her, noticing the girl’s nervous gestures. She was indeed a very Laura alike.

“I should know better than walking with my phone like this”

“Yeah, but…” Carmilla shrugged. “Like I said, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

After a pause, an awkward silence hung between them. A few feet away, in the other end of the isle, Laura was finally paying attention to the scene, coming back with Riley.

“I should keep going” said Helena pointing to her back.

“Sure.” Carmilla nodded and as soon the girl was out of her sight she said “So, that was awkward.” 

“Yeah, it was. Who was that?” asked Laura approaching Carmilla.

Not bating a lash Carmilla commented “It was just a student from my class who bumped on me.”

Laura took a look at Carmilla from head to toe. “And why all of this weird tension between the two of you?”

“She came to my office last Wednesday to ask me why I was being so harsh on her.”

Laura placed one hand on her hips, giving a stern look she usually gave to Riley when he was not being a good boy “And why were you harsh on her?”

Carmilla grabbed the cart handle and started to push it along the isle, ignoring Laura’s look.

“I was not… I mean, I am just firm, but, anyway, it’s the same treatment I give to all my students.”

“So you’re the pain in the ass type of teacher?”

“I’m fair… I’m there to teach, not to be nice.”

“What’s wrong in being a nice teacher?”

Carmilla stopped and gave Laura a very obvious roll of eyes.

“Are you crazy? I can’t not be nice, they would eat me alive in class. These teenagers these days are atrocious little dimwits, I cannot let my guard down around them.”

“Mom, I want this too” said Riley to both of them, showing a party size package of M&Ms.

“No more candy for you, young man” Laura said to Riley, who made a pout. “And put that back where you took it off.” She looked back to Carmilla. “I’m pretty sure you can be a nice and respectable teacher if you want to, Professor Hollis.”

Carmilla chuckled. “You have no idea what you are talking about.”

 

*******

 

“There is a message in our phone” Carmilla said as soon as they got home from the supermarket.

Laura turned to Riley “Go ahead and take your shower, Riley, Mommy will be there in a minute.”

“But I want to play with captain Chopstick” he said whining, but heading to the stairs anyway.

“You can do that afterwards, silly.”

Laura waited for Riley to be upstairs and sat with Carmilla on living room couch, both looking apprehensive to the phone on Carmilla’s hand.

“This is it” said Carmilla before pressing the button.

And as the message started to play, Laura linked her arm with Carmilla’s. “Hi Ms. Carmilla Karnstein-Hollis, this is Lucy from Dr. Collins office, I have your blood test results. Your levels of hCG showed a regular number, which means this is a negative result for pregnancy…”

Laura held Carmilla tightening, leaning her head on her wife’s shoulder. Carmilla was paralyzed for a few seconds after the message was over.

“So, I’m not pregnant” said Carmilla with a small voice.

“This was just the first attempt, Carm” Laura said softly. “We have two more chances, don’t worry.” She kissed Carmilla’s cheek, keeping her embrace firm and warm.

“Yeah… I know, but” 

“But this is normal, okay?”

Carmilla just nodded.

“Let’s go upstairs check our baby boy who is not a baby anymore, but will always be in a baby in our hearts” said Laura in her eternal happy tone. 

Carmilla let out a long breath she was holding, showing a hint of a smile on her lips. “Yeah, let’s go there.” She kissed Laura’s forehead.

And as she was standing up, Laura pulled her back to the couch “I love you, Carmilla.”

Carmilla smiled for her, cupping Laura’s face with both hands. “I love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go again :)
> 
> This is where you can reach me: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


	2. What’s on Your Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the first bump on their route, Laura try to make things better for Carmilla, but maybe she has chosen the wrong way to do it.

**Chapter 2 – What’s on Your Mind**

Pacing around the office with a cellphone glued to her ear, Laura was giving the usual advices for her client. She had been doing that for 10 years now. The first contact was mostly about hearing them and create the perfect first impression. Then she would present her pitch and from that moment on, shape their dreams into something charming and realistic.

There was no client like any other, the same way there was no wedding like any other. Her daily routine of planning and giving advices felt like second nature for her, even with all the new challenges presented at every corner. Cold feet, inconvenient relatives, drunk best men, unhappy bridesmaid, lost rings, pets on the run… she has seen it all.

With the successful of the last years the company doubled the size and they even moved to a bigger place, a charming office on a more fancy part of the city. It was a bit far away from her house, but after changing the way they did the work and with a bigger staff, Laura and Perry could have more free time from work and basically only deal with the main concept of the weddings, leaving the hard work to the rest of the team. She shared her office with only Perry and Kirsch (who spend most of the time with the rest of the team in the open space area where everybody else was).

“Of course you can have out-doored wedding in the spring. The key is to pay attention to the weather news and have the best backup plan for unannounced rain” she said to the very young and nervous future bride. “We have access to all tricks and gadgets one can think about unexpected events in wedding ceremonies, and if we need something new, we can invent it too. We did it before! There is a reason for the Laura-Hollis Tent be named after me.”

Perry on her desk gave Laura her very known smile. “There we go again” she said turning to Kirsch who returned with a double nod. 

“You know, someday I’ll have something with my name too, like…” he looked up, lost for a moment in his thoughts “like The Kirsch mobile.”

“What would that be for?”

“It would be a mix of a car and a robot to take the rings to the bride and groom… “ he nodded to himself “Awesome, right?”

“Well…” Perry just tilted her head to the side giving an apologetic grin to her co-worker.

“Really?”

Laura came bouncing with joy. “She liked it! Another crises averted!”

“Yeah, great!” Kirsch raised his hand for a high-five, which Laura slapped back.

“Going home early, Sweetie?”

“For sure!” Laura said turning on her heels and gathering her things “I even have the time to surprise my wife.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Kirsch expectantly.

“I said the word surprise for a reason, Kirsch.” The big dude made a pout. “If you only could keep a secret from Carmilla.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Really?!” Said Laura and Perry at the same time.

“Oh, come on! That was only one time! She caught me off guard.”

“Do you know how long I had to suffer to be inside that fake cake? No, you don’t!”

 

*******

 

Laura was admiring the red-brownish leaves falling from the trees around her as she was leaned on Carmilla’s car at the Silas University parking lot. With a flower bouquet on her hands, she noticed the students making their way around the campus and the whole academic atmosphere brought to her the good memories from her own time in college. Still so young and naïve, ready to take on the world. How much had changed since then. The dream of being a journalist, to falling in love with the most amazing girl on earth, to make a better world.

Maybe she didn’t make much difference in the world. She was far from being a journalist, but happy with her career choice. And the girl, well…

“You’re a sight for my sore eyes” said Carmilla with a discreet smile approaching her, hands on her pocket, side bag slung on her shoulder.

Laura offered the flowers. “To the most amazing girl on Earth.”

Carmilla chuckled taking the bouquet “Thanks for the ‘girl’, my love.”

Laura smiled wider bringing Carmilla to her embrace, kissing her cheek. She wanted to ask her wife how she was feeling, dealing with their first negative on the baby conception marathon. But she knew better than to do that with words. So she did it with gestures.

“Tell me you’re in a mood for a movie right now?”

“What about our little force of nature?”

“We will just let him wait for us at the school for hours with no end.”

“Of course you thought about everything” Carmilla sighed in content with her eyes lost in Laura’s. “you’re the most amazing wife on Earth.”

Laura chuckled. “So, movie? I’ll even let you have a say on the choice this time.”

“Finally!” Carmilla gave Laura a kiss on her lips.

 

*******

 

The theatre was half empty which was great for them and especially for Carmilla. And though Laura expected her wife to be feeling the blues, it seemed something else was also bothering her.

While the ads was still on, with a bucket of popcorn on her lap, Laura elbowed Carmilla.

“What’s wrong?”

Carmilla shrugged taking some popcorn from Laura’s bucket. “It’s just this generation of eggheads is what is wrong.”

“Eggheads?”

“They only care about doing the basics, get the grades and then to move on to adulthood with a undergraduate degree in their hands and a huge student debt for the rest of their lives.”

“Don’t you think you should take it easy, grandma? You were one of them in the past.”

“You are dead wrong about it, my Darling. I was nothing like them.” Carmilla turned to Laura a with a serious tone. “I cared about classes, I went deep in my readings, I knew all about Kant and Descartes even before the end of my first semester.”

Laura furrowed her eyebrows “I clearly remember you saying you had medium grades and did all of your papers in the last minute.”

Carmilla changed to a more aloof expression. “That’s because I didn’t need much time to write my papers, and the grades were more a reflect of the teachers who could not accept I knew more than them.”

“Wow” Laura clap her hands “you’re so humble about your knowledge, I wonder why your students don’t like you.”

Carmilla gave Laura the side eye taking more popcorn.

“They are not supposed to like me, that’s not the point. They are not going to learn if I take it easy on them.”

“Carm, you’re great with Riley. You’re patience, compassionate, kind… you teach him a lot, sometimes you spoil him more than you should, yeah I’m aware of that, I knew it would be like that, the relationship between the two of you is so special, it warms my heart just to think about it, and it’s one of the things I love the most about you… why don’t you take a lesson from it and use it on your classes?”

Carmilla shook her head. “It’s not the same thing. He is my son, of course I’ll be the best version of me for him. Parents are supposed to be the safe harbor, the world is tough enough as it is.”

“College professors can be that too, you know?”

Carmilla shook her head again, looking at the screen.

“I am not going to act like I’m their mother. I’m the tough part of the world they need to face, and they will learn a lot more from me like that than if I’m all about sunshine and rainbows.”

For a moment Laura felt insulted. But she shrugged off right after.

“If that’s the best way to act, why are you complaining so much?”

“The problem is not my method.”

“Oh yeah, the problem is this egghead generation, forgot about that.”

And as the movies was starting, Carmilla only gave Laura a “that’s-what-I’m-talking-about” look and the conversation was done.

 

*******

 

In the next day at the office, Laura could not shake off the words of Carmilla from her mind. With the first step in their conception journey being a missed hit, another reason for frustration seemed greatly unfair for her wife. In both cases there would not be much she could do, but be supportive and offer her ears.

“You look quite tense today, is everything okay?” asked Perry craning her head in Laura’s direction from her desk. Their new desks were side by side and the center of the room, only being separated by a few feet.

“Sort of, I mean…” Laura turned from her computer screen to face her friend. “Carmilla is having some trouble with her students and I wish I could help her somehow, but she just dismiss my advices and thinks there is no other way to make things better.”

Perry tilted her head to the side, making a confused expression. “What this trouble would be? They are disrespecting her or something like it?”

“I don’t know exactly what is happening, but basically she said they don’t care about classes, and from what I’ve noticed it, she is also being too harsh on them. She said she is just firm, but I believe she is just a classic case of a pain in the ass type of teacher, like Professor Van Loo all the way down.”

Perry shivered “Oh no, that’s terrible, just terrible.” She shook her head “we cannot let Carmilla turn into that, oh no, Dear!”

“I know, right?” Laura raised her hands in frustration. “But you know how Carmilla can be extremely stubborn when she wants, I can’t even…” with a loud sigh Laura was met with Perry not very amused stare “What?”

“You’re not the Queen of flexibility either, dear. You and Carmilla are quite the match.”

Laura bunched up her face “Not sure how much of an insult this is.”

“Well, with my experience dealing with the most stubborn and pick people ever, I think I can have something that can be helpful with Carmilla.”

“Ok, I’ll forget your insult and listen to your words. Come on, hit me with your special ‘people skills’.”

“Keep mocking like that and you will have no end on hearing your wife saying the wonders of teaching the college youth.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. Now, spill the beans, please!”

Perry expression changed from annoyed to a discreet smirk. “I have quite the plan, you’ll love it!”

 

*******

 

The nostalgia in the air was taking Laura back again. That part of the University was new for her, but she was feeling a mix of new and old things. She was a bit late, but not late enough to be rude in her first impression. Or was she?

After finding the door with the same number on the piece of paper in her hand, she entered the large auditorium, expecting to find dozens of students, but actually finding just one dozen of them.

She climbed down the stairs in the direction of the teacher’s desk, finding the Professor of the class sat at it. She approached with a hum extending the paper to said Professor, who kept her eyes more interested on some articled in hands.

“New student?” asked the Professor noticing the yellow paper making a shadow on her reading.

“Yes, I am” simple said Laura.

And finally Mrs. Hollis, Carmilla Hollis, the 101 philosophy Professor looked up to the person in front of her. “You are…”

“I got an exception from the Dean office to take your classes” said Laura amused, while Carmilla was still processing what was happening before her eyes.

And after staring in silence for her wife and taking a double check on the yellow sheet she spoke again. “Really?”

“Yep.”

Laura could see in Carmilla’s eyes the millions of thoughts running in her head. Her amusement grew wider.

Carmilla changed her features of surprise to her usual poker face.

“Welcome to philosophy 101, Laura…”

“Laura Karnstein” said Laura tapping the paper on Carmilla’s hand with her name on it. It was really wrote down as Laura Karnstein only.

“Okay, Karnstein.” Carmilla nodded for her. “You can take your seat.”

Laura turned looking for a place for her, something very easy to be made in that classroom.

Carmilla then took a look at the whole picture in front of her. She looked down at the article again and then stood up, walking around her desk and leaning her butt on the desk, facing the students.

She started with a monologue of something not so strange to Laura, but also not quite familiar. Carmilla paced around a little more and then back to front of the desk again. It didn’t take too long for the other students start to show signs of boredom and indifference.

Even Laura felt her own eyelids heavy with every word coming in a monotone from Carmilla. When she placed her head on her hand for support, she had enough. So she just raised her hand. After waving it for a moment, Carmilla finally noticed her.

“Not the time for questions, yet, Laura Karnstein.”

“I know but I need to ask this now while you are at it before we miss the point and my question turns irrelevant.”

Laura noticed how Carmilla was pondering and imagined how deep down she was questioning hard what the hell her wife was doing taking her classes.

“Take a note of your question and wait for the end, Laura” she simple said and Laura knew it. She was hesitating to give her wife the same treatment she gave to all of her students, but she was firm after all.

Laura took a deep breath and just endured the next minutes in silence while the whole class was getting more dispersed.

At the end of the never ending 50 minutes of Carmilla’s monologue, Laura was fighting hard to keep her eyes open, when Carmilla took a break and started to write something on the blackboard.

“By now you must have read the books I assigned from these philosophers” and Laura noticed the names and started to copy them to her notebook “keep these names in mind because next week I’ll ask you to do something, so this is the last call to read them before you can make some elaborated and well thinking decision” she scanned the whole class with her eyes, pausing at last at Laura “Have a good night, see you next week.”

 

*******

 

Laura was expecting Carmilla by her car, the same way she did a week before.

“It’s really not good for a student to ambush a professor in the University parking lot. You can reach me at my office every Wednesday at 2 O’clock in the afternoon” said Carmilla startling Laura a bit.

She was surprised by Carmilla’s speech, still expecting for the grilling moment full with why’s and don’ts, but all she found was her wife still wearing that teacher mask with a touch of her regular sarcasm.

“I just want a ride home, Professor Hollis.” And of course she would play the game a little too.

Carmilla seemed to ponder for a moment. “Just this time.”

Laura was not sure if that was still part of that student-teacher game or if Carmilla was being serious. It could actually go both ways.

And as they got inside the car and Carmilla was still acting in that same tone, Laura could not held herself anymore.

“Can you drop the act and tell me you’re mad at me for being in your class?”

“I’m not mad at you, Laura Karnstein.” Carmilla check on Laura for a second and then back to the task of buckling up and starting the engine. “I’m in fact amused and intrigued by your attempt to teach me a lesson, but I know you.”

Laura was waiting for the punch line in that moral lesson, but Carmilla was silent again, wearing that stupid smirk on her face.

“You think I’ll give up, of course.”

“Nope. I think you are stubborn enough to finish the semester.” And then again, the word stubborn being mentioned in referring to her. Maybe Perry had a point. Or not.

“That’s it?” Laura said. “I went behind your back, had a really awkward talk to my mother in law, and officially became one of your students. And you’re not mad?” 

“I’ll be mad if that’s was your intention for doing that. Making me mad.” Carmilla turned her head to Laura for some seconds and then back to the slow traffic. “But I think you’re better than this, that’s all.”

Laura kept staring at Carmilla with unbelievable eyes. The silence in her voice was the opposite of what was happening in her mind. Was Carmilla playing some game with her? Or she was not really taking Laura serious? Or maybe that was not indeed so much of a big deal. All she knew was that stubborn Carmilla would never say that.

“Okay, then” Laura said not much sure of what was really happening between them anymore.

 

*******

 

Back at home, Laura was helping Riley with his homework in the kitchen table, while Carmilla was waltzing around the stove preparing dinner. She seemed to be taken Laura’s presence in her class very light indeed. Or was Laura reading the situation all wrong?

“Mommy, it’s okay if I color the elephant green?” asked Riley pointing to the sheet on the table.

“Sure, big boy, why not?”

“Because Dillan said elephants are grey and panting them in other color is wrong.”

“Well, this is your elephant, right?”

Riley nodded.

“And if we read the task, it says you should color the elephant in gray?

Riley took a moment to read the task again.

“No, it only says to color the elephants, not the other animals.”

“So, there you go, you can color your elephant green” said Laura in a happy tone, brushing her son’s hair playfully.

“Or red, purple, yellow” said Carmilla coming and placing a kiss on Riley’s forehead. “The way you want, my love. This Dillan or any other kid should not say what you can or can’t do, okay?”

Riley opened a smile and nodded. Carmilla nodded back then gave Laura a wink.

“Yeah, Mama is right, Riley. Don’t pay attention to things that doesn’t make sense to you.”

And happily, Riley was taking the green pencil and brushing it on the draw. Laura felt at easy again. Maybe she was overreacting.

 

*******

 

Carmilla was sat on the bed, very concentrated on her laptop. Laura sat by her side taking a peek at her screen. Carmilla was working on her doctoral thesis, that explained her expression. She could know just by looking at Carmilla know what she was doing before really knowing what it was. She didn’t like when Carmilla was doing work on the bed, but she also knew how time was precious for them. Better Carmilla in bed with work, than Carmilla far away in the office.

Laura got her book of the moment and kept reading it from where she left off last time. It was getting hard to concentrate on the story while her mind was still wandering about her presence in Carmilla’s class.

Noticing that Carmilla was also writing and re-writing the same paragraph over and over, she placed her book aside.

“Carm, can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure” said Carmilla still concentrated on her computer.

“Are we cool about this situation of me taking your classes?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t feel like you meant it.”

Carmilla sighed, turning to Laura.

“It would be better if you have talked to me about it first, but that’s just what Laura Hollis, I mean, Laura Kanstein just does, right? I just decided not to be mad at it, that’s all” and back to her thesis she was.

Laura slapped the mattress on her side “I knew you were mad!”

“I’m not mad, I just said it.”

“Carmilla…”

Carmilla stopped to write and closed the laptop, placing it on her nightstand, and giving her full attention to Laura.

“I’m serious, I’m not mad.”

“But you’re not happy either”

Carmilla chuckled. “Happy?! You’re asking too much now, woman.”

“Just say something, what you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, I’m lost here…”

Carmilla sighed heavily.

“Now you want my opinion?”

Laura bit her lower lip, feeling the guilty finally taking over her.

“I kind of wanted to make a surprise to you.”

“Knowing that I’m not a fan of surprises?” Carmilla laughed dryly. “Yeah, you surprised me big time.”

Giving Carmilla her puppy eyes, Laura was somehow trying to easy her guilty.

“Laura… yeah what you did was wrong. I don’t dislike the idea of having you in my class, in fact is an honor to me, but we should have talked about it, because we are married not strangers, and I do understand your reasons and intentions, but it’s still wrong. I’m not mad though, I’m really not, but I can’t help and feel a little disappointed because you know me too and you should have had considerate my feelings before doing something you thought it would be good for me.”

Laura felt a weight building on her chest and sinking to her stomach, very slowly. It was not just guilty. Or sadness. But it was painful, for sure. She felt her eyes getting heavier with tears, but she could not move or blink. Soon there was a buzz in her head and she could only master a few words out of her mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

The words came as the movements in her body. She turned to her side of the bed and sank on the mattress, feeling the tears breaking down on her face.

“I’m not mad” she heard Carmilla saying next to her ear. 

“I am… with myself.”

“Don’t be” said Carmilla getting closer gently and giving her a very light kiss on her temple.

Laura felt more tears streaming down her face at the same time she also felt Carmilla’s arms around her waist. 

“It will be a very interesting semester with you as my student.” Carmilla kissed Laura’s cheek, craning her head up hovering above Laura.

Laura almost gasped, using her hand to wipe away the tears. “I’m not sure about that anymore.”

“I am, my love. But, hey…” she touched Laura’s chin, leading Laura’s head to face her. “Don’t expect any privileges or special treatment because you sleep with your professor, okay? I’m not that kind of teacher.”

Laura snorted, feeling that paralyzing weight being lifted from her. 

“Good to know you really follow your ethics program.”

Carmilla chuckled “I can be anything, but a hypocrite, Cupcake.”

Laura finally smiled again. She moved her hands to Carmilla’s hair, wipe them off her face.

“Since we are nowhere near the classroom, am I allowed to sleep with my professor like, right now?”

Carmilla made a thinking face, knitting her brows together. “I think you are.”

Laura pulled Carmilla for a kiss and her worries were no longer heavy anymore.

 

*******

 

In the next week, Laura sat on the same place as before, but this time she got early. She scanned the students, looking for the one with the friendliest face. And a skinny pale girl seemed the perfect fit. She was concentrated reading something, “Nerd enough” Laura thought to herself. She sat on the girl’s side waving to get her attention. It worked.

“Hi, hey!”

“Oh, hi” the girl said looking up to Laura from her reading.

“So, Professor Hollis said something about the first three weeks of classes, but since I missed them, can I grab some of your notes to give me some north in my studies?”

“Sure, yeah” the girl took a notebook from her backpack and handed it to Laura. “You can take pictures of the pages before the class starts.”

“Good idea, thank you.”

“No problem.”

And as Laura was taking the pictures, the girl was back to her reading.

“So… what do you think about Professor Hollis? Is she tough as the rumors says?”

“Well, you saw her reaction to your question last week, right? She’s not a ride in the park for sure.”

“I’ve seen worst, believe me…” Laura chucked.

“Yeah, you didn’t see intimidated by her at all… what is your secret?”

Laura eyed the girl with a goofy smile. She wanted to say that Carmilla liked to show off as a threating black panther, but she was actually a very harmless kitten.

“We are all humans in the end… what is your name by the way?”

“Helena” said the girl extending her hand, and Laura shook it too. “You’re Laura, right?”

“That’s right, Laura Karnstein. Nice to meet you, Helena.” Was she the girl Carmilla met at the supermarket the other day?

“So…” The girl hunched closer to Laura. “The secret? Seriously, I just wanted to be able to talk to her and not stutter, but it’s like I can feel the cringe as she is about to answer me, next time I’ll faint for sure.”

“Huh….” Laura got a little surprised by the revelation. “Do you happen to have a crush on her, maybe?”

Helena laughed out loud. “I don’t, I mean…” Helena placed a hand on her chest. “She is very beautiful for sure, but I’m not interested in women at all” she chuckled “but I learned she is married to a woman, though” she shrugged “if I had a crush on her I would be double troubled.”

Laura felt relieved, she thought she would get a very awkward moment listening to a girl drooling over her wife and possibly having to turn to someone else for help, in order to avoid more awkward talks in the future.

“There is no secret, like I said, I’m used to deal with so much worst that, this is not intimidating at all, believe me.”

“Are you like a prison officer or something?”

Laura giggled. “Oh no, much worse. I deal with brides, grooms, and moms, and bride’s maid, and best men, and you know, the whole wedding planning thing.”

“That’s doesn’t seem so bad.”

“You have no idea.”

And as the girl was still laughing at Laura’s comments, Carmilla was entering the class.

“Oh no, I can already feel my stomach turning in distaste” said Helena in a low voice.

Laura just shook her head and watched Carmilla placing her things on her desk and the same ritual like the last class. But after 10 minutes of the speech, Laura was already in the sleep zone and the same seemed to have happened to the rest to the class too.

She raised her hand and didn’t take much for Carmilla to notice her.

“Yes, Laura?”

“I know you want us to make questions at the end, but just hear me out, because I think I have a good argument for you to listen to me now rather than the end of class. I promise you.”

Carmilla sighed, leaning back on her desk and crossing her arms. “It must be a really good argument. Ok, I’ll allow that. Ask.”

“I’m still a little bit confused at the difference between an inductive and a deductive method. If I keep struggling with that, all that comes after won’t make any sense to me, and if there is any other slower thinker in class, we are going to save time and also save some healthy neurons at the same time, which is good for everyone, really.”

Carmilla paused for a moment after almost saying something. Then she proceeded.

“That’s a very long argument… not bad, but really not much to the point.” She cleaned her throat. “So, inductive method is based on premises, it helps you to predict the future, while deductive is based on proved facts and the results are valid. Then you have the entailment leading one fact to another, and like the premises, the conclusion must be valid if the arguments are made under logical reasoning. Also all of the premises must be true so the conclusion can be valid too.”

Laura bit her lower lip, doing her best to not show her frustration with Carmilla’s far-fetched answer. It was getting clearer to her the reasons Carmilla’s students were caring less and less about classes.

“I’m still a bit lost.”

Carmilla took a deep breath and Laura could see the internal dilemma displayed on her face. She left the desk walking to the blackboard and started to write it down.

“I think this will help. Let’s work with a more contemporary example. First premise: all cars have engines. Second premise, I’m a car. The conclusion: I have an engine.”

She turned back to Laura. “This makes sense to you?”

“Well, you followed the logic in the premises, but the conclusion is wrong.”

“Yes, we can say that the conclusion is false, but the entailment works. If all cars have engines and I’m car, I should have an engine. So, where is the problem?”

“One of the premises is false. You’re not a car.”

“Touché.” Carmilla nodded with a smile. “This proves that even when you have logic in your thinking, like in this example, the result cannot be valid or true if one of the premises is not true or valid.” Back to the blackboard Carmilla started to write again. “Premise one: All humans have a heart, premise two, Laura is a human, conclusion, Laura has a heart.”

Facing the class with a smile, a really genuine smile on her face, Carmilla said, laying her eyes on Laura “What about that now?”

Laura could feel the same smile mirroring on her face. “All the premises are correct, and so the conclusion.”

Carmilla just nodded and when she turned to the blackboard again, Laura turned to Helena giving her a wink. Helena just seemed impressed and nodded to Laura. They noticed how the other students were awaken than ever, taking notes and not yawning like usual.

The class turned to a different route from that moment on. Carmilla started to write more on the board and using other examples. At the end of class, Laura could clearly see the difference in Carmilla’s façade as she was leaving the class.

“That was great!” said Helena enthusiastic. “Laura, I don’t know how you do that, but wow, I’m your fan now.”

Laura smiled, making a gesturing with her hand like that was nothing special. “Nah, like I said, I’ve seen worst, she’s not a monster, just a very serious person, that’s all.”

Helena side eyed Laura. “I also noticed this huge chemistry between the two of you, do you…” she got closer to Laura and lower her voice “aren’t you the one having a crush on Professor Hollis?”

Laura felt a blush creeping on her face and did her best to disguise the truth. “Oh please, I am married too. And very happily married.” She showed Helena her wedding and engagement ring.

Helena took her hand in awe. “Wow, your husband have a very good taste, Laura. You’re lucky.”

“Thanks” Laura said. “But actually…” and she debated a little more. Sure, she would not say the truth about her and Carmilla, but she would also not lie about being married to a man when visibility was so important for her. “I’m married to a woman, not a man. So she is the one with a really good taste, and I do agree with you on that.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, but…” She eyed sided Laura again. “Maybe it’s a lesbian thing, I don’t know and I’m sorry if I’m being an ass saying something like this, but yeah, you too showed so much chemistry that almost turned this class into a lab.”

Laura snorted. “I think you’re right, it’s a lesbian thing for sure, and since you’re straight you’re not allowed to know much more about it, or I should kill you to keep our agenda in secret.”

Helena laughed and Laura felt relieved again. Maybe hide her real connection with Carmilla would be harden than she thought it would be. She should work harder on her social skills for sure, her wife’s job was at stake. And if anything went wrong, it would all be her fault.

 

*******

 

Heading to the parking lot, this time with a genuine smile on her face, Carmilla got closer to Laura.

“Don’t you own a car, Mrs. Karnstein?”

“Well, since we are going in the same direction and we should not miss any opportunity to be together, I asked Perry to drive me to work every Tuesday, so I can take a ride with my wife/professor.”

Carmilla pondered for a moment, contemplating Laura. “Why are you not in my ethics class? It’s twice a week.”

“Oh yeah, the double of things to study and in the mornings…” Laura shook her head. “I still have a company to run, in case you forgot, professor.”

Carmilla chuckled, clearly amused by their professor/student dynamics.

“You’re not the same nerd of the old days.”

“Shut up” said Laura leaving Carmilla’s personal space and heading to the passenger’s door. “Come on, Riley is waiting for us.”

Carmilla entered the car and after a few minutes they were leaving the university grounds. Stopping on the first red light on their way, Carmilla turned to Laura, pulling her face by her jaw and giving her a lingering kiss.

“You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you in class” said Carmilla with a smile, resting her forehead on Laura’s.

“I think I have a clue.” And all the rest of the class for sure, Laura thought to herself opening her eyes and nudging Carmilla “Carm, the lights.”

“Oh, right” and before a second honk would sound, Carmilla was driving them again.

Laura could not take her eyes away from Carmilla anymore. And the way Carmilla was smiling was melting Laura’s heart with so much warmth and love.

“Are you going to look at me with heart eyes all the way home?”

Laura just extended her left hand to Carmilla’s thigh, squeezing it. “Did you like the class today?”

“Maybe a little bit more than last week” Carmilla said aloof.

“Just a little bit more?”

Carmilla opened a wide smile. “I’m not saying you’re right. Don’t look at me like that.” She rolled her eyes to Laura. “The dynamic worked better than the usual, but it can be the result of having you in class, which means…” she turned the wheel in a hard curve. “That your influence can misguide my judgment on my methods, so I’m not sure of anything for now.”

“You’re clearly still in philosophy professor mode… you do take it very seriously.”

“I do, my love.”

Things were making a little more sense in Laura’s head, but she was speechless again. Of course Carmilla would not give in so easily about her influence on the class, but just to see that smile on her face again was enough. And to think it all started with an idea from Perry. Sure, she was wrong about the surprise part, but right about all the rest. On top of everything she could see another side of Carmilla she never saw before, and after almost 7 years together, it was good to know there was still something new to learn about her. And she was sure it would have so much more in their next years ahead. A thought that brought even more warmth to her heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I actually had to study philosophy to write this first 2 chapters and enjoyed it so much that I'm keeping the studies for fun (yeah, I'm such a nerd) and also this will give more consistency to Carmilla's part on the story.
> 
> This is where you can reach me: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/  
> ...and hit me with questions about the series.
> 
> Thank you all for the comments on the first chapter, I apreciate each one of them.


	3. Smells Like Teen Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla has a night out with her father in law and Laura has to deal with the consequences of that. And Riley is showing more of his personality.

**Chapter 3 – Smells Like Teen Spirit**

It was a Saturday night at the crowed pub. Carmilla was leaning at the counter waiting for her drinks. An eager guy just placed himself by her side, elbowing Carmilla lightly. It was enough to bring her whole broody demeanor to the surface.

“Beer, right? You seem like a beer kind of girl” the dude said extending his hand to the bartender.

“Beat it” Carmilla said raising her hands to finally take her order.

“It’s on me” he said, now pulling a stack of bills from his pocket.

Carmilla just grabbed the bottles and ignored him, turning on her heels and walking in the direction of her booth.

“You could throw me a bone, I’m just trying to be nice” he insisted, but stopping in his place as soon as he saw where Carmilla was heading. Or to be more specific, to whom Carmilla was taking the other beer. “Sorry” he said before he left her alone.

Carmilla just rolled her eyes and handed the beer bottle to her father-in-law, sitting across from him.

“It would be wonderful if these idiots respected other women too when there is no men around.”

Mr. Hollis gave her some sort of apologetic smile.

“Men, right?” He raised his bottle to toast with hers.

Carmilla felt a little better with the comment, because she was expecting some sort of “I’m sorry in the name of all good men out there” or even worst “not all men…” but John Sherman Hollis was not that kind of men. Or at least not anymore after so many years being educated by a daughter like Laura.

 

That meet in the bar became some sort of an occasional ritual for them, when Laura was working on some wedding and Meredith, his girlfriend, was busy with some big shot case. Carmilla usually called a baby sitter to stay at the house, even if Riley was asleep, because she would never leave a six year old by himself, even in his sleep.

At her first sip, Carmilla was immediately feeling her nerves calming down. Just because she was about to quit drinking for a long and indefinitely period of time, the beer seemed to taste better than ever.

“That’s a fine beer we have in here” said John, also taking joy on his long gulp.

“You tell me.” Carmilla chuckled.

“So… I was thinking these days about you and Laura” he took another sip and eyed Carmilla “I never heard the story of how you started to date.”

Carmilla almost spat her beer. Luckily, her father-in-law was too concentrated on his own beer to notice Carmilla’s reaction.

“I… we…” Carmilla scratched her head and drank again a little more.

This time John was looking more attentive to her, expecting her answer. “I know you met at the drugstore, Laura was a regular, right?”

“Yeah, well…” Carmilla just nodded, gaining more time to elaborate her question. “It was nothing too out of the ordinary… it happened when we were living together, and as we knew each other better, we got closer and closer, and naturally, you know…”

She brought the bottle back to her mouth and took a long chug.

“But how exactly? I mean, when you knew? When you went from friends to… you know, more than friends?”

His eyes were shining with curiosity, just like Laura. The more intimated she got with her in-law, the more Laura alike he was turning into. So far, Carmilla found that sort of adorable, father and daughter sharing so many things in common. But in that moment, with the deep prying, it felt too much.

“One day…” Carmilla started knowing how much she could share. Not in a million years she would tell about the sex buddies phase she and Laura went to. “When Laura forgot her lunch I went to her office to give it to her, but she was not there.”

She noticed how his attention was growing as the story was progressing.

“She was at a flower shop, dealing with some wedding thing and since she was expecting I knew she could not skip any meal.”

Carmilla took another gulp and John was still holding his attention eagerly.

“So I went there, and as I was waiting on the parking lot she got out and-“

“Why were you waiting in the car?”

“I…” Carmilla took another sip and the beer was over. The man was clinging to every detail… she knew back then that Laura was after Donna and she was thinking if she should butt in her thing or not, but it was another thing Laura’s father didn’t need to know. “I was checking my phone to see if Laura had left me any message.”

He nodded, accepting the added information. “And she got out…” he said pushing the story telling forward.

“Yep, she was out and she saw me there.” This time Carmilla went full on her memory, not even noticing her own smile. “She went to the door window and I gave her a paper bag with her lunch, making fun of her because I packed it like a kid lunch for school” she sighed in content “her eyes were so soft and warm and she was so surprised and thankful for that and, next thing I knew, she was kissing me. It was just perfect.”

John sighed in awe too. “And then what?”

Carmilla smile fainted a little. “It was unexpected for her, so she needed time to process everything…” she looked down at the table, the feelings of that day presented in her somehow. “She broke up with Danny not too long before and we were living together, which made things a little more complicated.”

“But eventually it worked out and there you are, seven years later and still together” John completed raising his bottle for another toast. Carmilla met his bottle with her empty one.

“Yep, still very much in love” Carmilla said with a smile back on her face.

“Okay, it’s my turn now, just hang a little there, kid.”

Carmilla just nodded, thinking how time had passed so quickly. Soon it would be indeed their 7 year anniversary. She should plan something. The whole 7-year itch didn’t seem a thing she should be worried about. Not between her and Laura.

 

Soon, John was back with two more bottles, another inquisitive smile on his face. Carmilla’s stomach was not reacting very well with it.

“I was remembering that soon Riley will be 7 years old!”

“Yep.” Carmilla nodded taking her bottle. “Our big boy is growing up too fast.”

“Yes, indeed.” He seemed to ponder for a second, still keeping that curios glare. “Have you thought about having more children?”

Carmilla smiled nervously. Damn, the man was all in detective mode, she thought. 

“Maybe.” She just shrugged, thinking about another thing to move the conversation from that topic.

“I don’t mean to pry too much, I mean, if I am you tell me to back off and I will but… how it worked exactly? Laura basically refused to tell me when she got pregnant with Riley.”

“Where is he going?” Carmilla thought, not being fast enough for her sake. “Laura chose a donor from a cryobank and she went to a clinic to be inseminated. It worked on the very first time” she said.

He nodded at that, but there was still some of that inquisitive look on his face. But a buzz coming from his phone over the table, throw his attention to a message. “Thank God for that” thought Carmilla.

He took a look at the words with a long sigh.

“Meredith is going to take another hour.” He took a sip, looking up to Carmilla. “I thought lawyers would not trump cops in having extra hours of work… I was clearly wrong.”

“Don’t sweat about it, Laura’s wedding is not ending anytime soon either.”

“Talking about weddings, I need to confess something.”

“I’m all ears” said Carmilla. If she could she would kiss his girlfriend for that text. Best thing she ever did for Carmilla.

“You know I’ve been dating Meredith for 6 years now and at our age that’s a long time, I mean…”

“You want to propose to her?”

“Yes! I do, but…” He looked down to his bottle and fidget with the rim. “I know Laura is not a big fan of her and it was always something that I could not just let it go. It’s like Laura is a teenager all of over again…” He let out a nervous laugh, but soon his features were tensed again. “I can’t marry her not having my daughter bless, I know this is not right, but it feels like I would be replacing her mother.”

Carmilla pressed her lips in thin line, not much sure of what to say. The man was right, Laura didn’t like her future maybe to be, step mother. She never said anything solid about it, and Carmilla knew she could not say much about her wife point of view either, without hurting the feelings of her in-law.

“You have to talk to her about it, John.”

“Am I right about Laura not liking Meredith?”

“I… I don’t know, to be honest.” Carmilla shrugged. “Laura doesn’t talk much about her.”

“Well, Laura’s silence says a lot, for sure.”

Carmilla just nodded grabbing her beer.

 

*******

 

Laura was finally taking her shoes off and taking a deserved seat, after another long and stressful day at a wedding. Things on that business lately was getting too intense. Sure, she was not dealing with so much “hands on” like in the beginning, but the kind of new technology stuff and social media trends making their way in weddings and parties in general, was escalating to really dangerous grounds.

Feeling her phone buzzing on her pants pocket, she took it.

 **Carm (1:36am):** I need a ride 

Laura shook her head, typing something back. There was always a first time for everything, she thought.

 **Laura (1:37am):** Drink much I sense you have

 **Carm (1:37am):** Don’t yoda me 

**Laura (1:37am):** Is my dad ok?

**Carm (1:38am):** Yep Meredith is coming

 **Laura (1:38am):** ok, I’ll be there in 10

 

Laura took a deep breath standing up and stretching her back. After saying her goodbyes to her colleagues, she headed to the parking lot, thinking about how she never saw Carmilla drunk. She had seen Carmilla high on anesthesia, but with alcohol she imagined it would not be so much different: a childish and annoying Carmilla.

Parking in front of the pub, she saw her father with his arm interlaced with his girlfriend arm, while Carmilla was beside them, hands tucked on her jeans pocket in a full brooding mode. That was not a good sign.

She put on an easy working-style smile on her face. That was always the usual way she faced her father’s lady. She didn’t hate Meredith, but she also didn’t have many reasons to like her. The woman was a bolding lawyer who only lost 2 cases in her entire career, always sounding so condescending and a bragger to Laura. She really didn’t know what her father saw in that woman.

“Thank you for coming in a such hurry, Laura” said Meredith showing her own version of necessary smile.

“It’s my fault, really” said John a bit tipsy. Surely not drunk like Laura had seen before. “I can handle much more than Carmilla and I totally forgot about it.”

“It’s okay, Dad” Laura said looking at her father and then to Meredith “And it’s no problem, Meredith, I’m the one who thank you for waiting for me.”

Laura noticed Carmilla again, leaned at the wall, eyes on the floor. That was so strange.

“I totally understand the ropes of successful women, you should not thank me.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Laura barely noticed the couple saying their goodbyes, when she approached Carmilla, placing her hand on her shoulder. “Hey, drunk wife, ready to go home?”

Laura got a little scared with the shade Carmilla was throwing on her. She looked… angry?

“Don’t call me drunk, ok?”

“Ahhh…” Laura gulped dry. “Okay” she said in a high pitch tone.

“I didn’t drink that much.”

“If you say so” Laura extended her hand to Carmilla, who took it in a reluctant way.

 

Laura opened the car door to her wife, who got in and just crossed her arms. Laura walked to the driver’s side and sat, fastening her seatbelt. Carmilla was not moving a finger to put her own belt as well.

“Carm, the seatbelt.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes taking the belt and having some trouble to fasten it. Laura tried to help her, but Carmilla seemed more annoyed with the gesture.

“I got it” she said, dismissing Laura’s help.

“Alright.” Laura leaned back to her seat, turning in car inside lights on and watching Carmilla struggling a little more with the lock. But after a moment, Carmilla was finally secured.

“So, let’s go home.” 

After some more slops attempts to be free of her seatbelt, Carmilla was out of the car and Laura was leading them to the front door. Jennifer, the baby sitter who lived just 2 doors down, was already waiting for them in the living room. Riley was alright and the girl could finally go home.

While Laura went to check on Riley, indeed sleeping in a peaceful way, Carmilla was dropping herself on their bed. When Laura entered the room, she just sighed heavily, removing her shoes.

“Shower before bed, Carm” she simply said. In the state Carmilla was, the less she said, the better it would be.

“Tomorrow” said Carmilla not moving an inch.

Laura took her hand. “Nope, right now, honey.”

“I’m tired as fuck, I won’t leave this bed” mumbled Carmilla.

“And I thought I would not be taking care of a teenager so soon in my life, but here I am with my drunk wife.”

“I said I’m not drunk!” Carmilla turned to face Laura, her face already marked by the wrinkles from the bed sheet.

Laura could not hold herself, so she just laughed at the sight. 

“What’s so damn funny?” Carmilla wiped her face with her hand, siting up on the bed.

“Your face.” Laura pointed to her and it worked better than anything she could have said. Carmilla was standing up, heading to the bathroom.

Laura followed her, still amused. Even annoying, drunk Carmilla was funny somehow. Laura closed the bathroom door behind her, locking it.

“You’re exaggerating, it’s just a silly mark” Carmilla was brushing her face again when Laura pulled out Carmilla’s jacket.

“It will be quick, honey.”

Carmilla looked at her with the death stare again, brooding as ever.

“I can do it tomorrow” protested Carmilla.

Laura looked deeply in her eyes, scrunching up her nose. “You’re not gonna sleep in that bed stinking with beer.” She grabbed the hem of Carmilla’s shirt pulling it up.

“I can do it myself.” Carmilla grabbed her own shirt from Laura’s and started to undress herself.

Laura removed her hands from Carmilla, taking a step back and starting to remove her own clothes too. For a moment Carmilla was watching Laura, the brooding in her giving in a little.

Free from all of her clothes, Laura stepped in the shower and turned it on, waiting for the hot water to come. Carmilla was still getting rid of her last pieces, this time accepting the help of Laura to get her socks out. Laura got under the water first.

Slowly, Carmilla entered the box, while Laura was soaping her own body. Carmilla still seemed lost and angry at the same time. Laura grabbed her hand, placing Carmilla under the water, who resembled her a annoyed wet cat, frozen in place while the water was running down over her. Laura grabbed the shampoo and poured some on her hand, before applying it on Carmilla’s head, pulling her from under the water. And as she kept taking the lead in cleaning Carmilla, she noticed how her wife was resisting less and less to the shower. And when it was time for Laura to get herself clean, she put Carmilla under the shower again to keep her warm.

Brushing herself clean, Laura didn’t notice Carmilla’s gaze on her turning from annoying to lusting. When she was trading places with Carmilla under the water, she saw Carmilla biting her lower lip, unashamedly checking on Laura. 

Carmilla then approached Laura, her mouth aiming her wife’s mouth, when Laura took the shower head and pointed it in Carmilla’s face.

“You need to brush your teeth too, Lady Killer.” Laura laughed amused, making Carmilla to be all broody again.

“You suck” Carmilla said sliding the door open and stepping out, grabbing a towel for herself.

Laura was laughing a little more, finishing her own shower. She did make Carmilla to brush her teeth and how she expected, Carmilla slept just a few seconds after she was lying down in bed, still naked, but at least cleaned and dried.

 

*******

 

“Raise and shine” said Laura gently, opening up the bedroom curtains.

Carmilla was rolling on the bed, covering her face with the next pillow in hand. She muttered something Laura was not able to understand. Her wife approached the bed, sitting on it.

“Carm, I know you’re certainly suffering from bad, really bad hangover and probably been a while since the last time you had it, since I never saw you this hammered, but the thing is…” Laura took another breath. 

“No, no, just no…” Carmilla said while Laura was preparing to say more.

“You promised to take Riley to the paddleboat competition on the Angler Fish Lake.”

“Fuck…”

Carmilla turned in bed, raising her head from under the pillows and sheets, facing Laura for the first time in that morning.

Laura held her laugh, seeing Carmilla with her messy hair and wrinkled face. “He is downstairs taking breakfast, all happy and giddy about your adventure.”

“I totally forgot about it.”

“I figured.” She placed a simple kiss on Carmilla’s cheek. “I brought your water, painkillers and coffee.”

“Coffee, please.” Carmilla sat up on the bed, leaning her back on the bed board.

Laura turned to the bedside table and took a cup of coffee, serving it to Carmilla. “It’s good to see you’re back to be polite again.”

Carmilla brushed her hair back from her face, cradling the cup on her hands. “I’m sorry for whatever shit I said or did last night.”

“I did promise to love you in sober and drunk, it’s no biggie.”

Carmilla felt relieved. After taking her first sip, she started to pay attention to her body. “Why I am naked?”

“It’s because we had sex, obviously” Laura said showing a smirk. Her good mood seemed to have no end.

“No, we didn’t.” Carmilla was not laughing or showing any kind of smile, but Laura was surely making her feel like she was, somehow.

This time Laura giggled. “It was pretty hard to make you to take a shower, I would not get in the troubles of making you wear something. You not smelling like stinking beer was enough for me.”

Carmilla closed her eyes, remembering of the talk with Laura’s father and beer after beer she was taking to smooth things up.

“I’m sorry again.”

“Don’t worry” Laura placed another kiss on her cheek. “You were a handful, but it was so also funny so see you act like such a rebel teenager.”

“A what?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly how you behaved. Like a rebel angry teenager. I should film you, like when you got high on anesthesia.” Laura stood up. “Maybe next time.”

“There will not be a next time, I won’t drink again anytime soon, so hold your phone, Cupcake.”

“I’ll check on Riley, don’t take too long to be ready, ok? He is waiting for this for a long time.”

“I know.”

 

*******

 

“Come on, Mama, you’re too slow” said an anxious Riley to Carmilla.

There they were, mother and son perched on an old paddle duck, in the middle of the lake, moving their legs as fast as they could, while at the shore a small crowd was cheering enthusiastic.

“I’m trying my best here, little man” said Carmilla sweating and tired, with thick sunglasses on her face and a cap on her head.

“We are in third! We can’t let Liam and his father win! Or Susana and her mother!”

“When did you become so competitive? Geez… what about being a sport and all of that?”

“I want a trophy, mom! We won’t get a trophy on the third place!”

“I really have to talk to your mother about it.“

“We need to try harder Mama! We can do it!” said the boy in an energetic way it reminded Carmilla a lot of his other mother. Damn, she should do her best for sure. So she took a deep breath and gave indeed her best.

 

*******

 

“With all the good things you could pass along to our son, you chose to be being freaking competitive” said Carmilla past on the grass with Laura by her side while Riley, a few feet away from them, was moping, looking with puppy eyes to the trophy on his friends hands.

“There is nothing wrong about it” Laura said giving a light slap in Carmilla’s thigh. “At least I didn’t give him that broody face, that’s all you.”

“If he didn’t care much about winning a stupid trophy he would not be upset about getting a silver medal.”

“You know that if you didn’t drink so much last night, you would be in first place.”

Carmilla raised her head, brows furrowed.

“I didn’t do that on purpose, your father was making too many questions I didn’t want to answer, so I drank! I know it was wrong, but I could not think much when he was cornering me with his 20 questions.”

Laura sighed.

“Let’s just drop it, okay? I’ll talk to Riley about the competitive stuff… and you make sure to control your nights at the pub with dad.”

“That was the last time. I won’t drink until we have our second kid.”

“You know you can’t drink while breastfeeding too, right?”

Carmilla dropped her head back on the ground. “We don’t know if I’ll even get to that point.”

Laura patted her leg, standing up. “You will.”

 

*******

 

Carmilla tried her best to compensate her epic fail with Riley. She was sad they lost the big prize, but at the same time she was worried with the competitive way he was behaving. He should be able to process that, life was not about winning all the time. So on the next day, after getting him from school, they walked together back at home, something they didn’t do for a while.

 

Noticing his eyes lost in thoughts, Carmilla squeezed his hand. “Hey… are you still mad about not winning the trophy?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry for that… but you have to be used to that, Riley. We don’t get everything we want in life.”

“I know that, Mama, but… we trained a lot, we went to the lake a bunch of times to be the best. This is not fair.”

“How it can’t be fair? Do you know if your other friends did the same? If they trained like us?”

“No, I don’t.”

“So?”

“But I wanted it so much. It was a such a cool trophy.”

“I know that, but the trophy was not the best part of that. Didn’t you like all the time we spent together?”

“I did.”

“We did have a lot of fun training on the lake, don’t you think?”

“Yeah…”

“So… yeah, we got no trophy, but we still got a lot of fun and time to bond. Time to have fun together, you me and Mommy, don’t you think this is better than a piece of metal that will be on your room getting dust?”

He got in silence for a moment. Children logic was not so simple, as it may seem. Carmilla squeezed his hand again. “I know you worked hard for that, and you can try again next year. And there will be other things to fight for, to be better at. A lot of other trophies you can win. This was just the first one, and you got second place, that’s huge, you know that?”

“Do you think?”

“Of course! Who else in your class got a silver medal?”

“No one” he said in a considerate tone.

“That’s right. And what about the other kids who got there and won no medal at all?”

“Didn’t think about them.”

Carmilla nodded. “Still think it was that bad?”

“No.”

Carmilla looked up, noticing their surroundings. “So what about some ice cream before we get home?”

And a huge smile was forming on Riley’s face. Carmilla didn’t know how she missed that.

 

*******

 

On the next morning Laura woke up early for another day of work. Carmilla would be in bed for another couple of hours, and possibly wake up with a sour mood, since she would meet with her mentor and give classes in the afternoon.

After brushing her teeth and returning to bed, sitting to check on her messages, she felt Carmilla’s arms enlacing her waist.

“You’re smelling great, Creampuff” Carmilla said in her sleepy voice, brushing her nose in Laura’s back, giving Laura some tickles.

“You know its’ a Tuesday, right?”

Carmilla seemed to ignore her, dragging her lips along Laura’s lower back, giving her light feather kisses, her hands caressing her flanks.

“You’re in a Lady Killer mood in a class day?” Laura asked with a giggle, leaving her phone on the nightstand, paying attention to Carmilla.

“There’s something on you that is so…” Carmilla looked up to her, biting her lower lip, leaning up and reaching for Laura’s neck.

Laura gasped while Carmilla was leaving perfect kisses on her neck. Damn, what a way to start a day. She turned to face Carmilla, running her finger on Carmilla’s hair, her lips an inch closer to Carmilla’s mouth.

“Carm! I know what is happening!” she said enthusiastic right before reached her lips.

“I hope you do…” and as Carmilla was leaning back again, Laura backed out.

“Carm, you’re ovulating!”

Carmilla chuckled “You’re really doing a great job at tracking my days” she said before aiming to Laura’s neck again.

“Well, thanks” Laura said before she was moaning again with the things Carmilla was doing to her neck and her inner thigh. “I mean, I’m counting the days, but also… you’re super horny.”

“For obvious reasons, you’re so damn hot” Carmilla said against her skin.

She held Carmilla’s hand making a way up on her thigh. “I’m flattered, but that’s your hormones talking, come on!”

She made a motion to leave the bed and Carmilla’s grasp on her got tighter.

“Seriously?”

“Don’t you want to be pregnant?”

Carmilla let out a long and frustrated sigh, freeing Laura from her grasp.

 

*******

 

“This is going to be extra awkward” said Carmilla laid in the clinic bed with her legs spread, waiting for the doctor to come.

“I don’t think so, it’s the second time, it will feel less weird” said Laura, giving a reassurance pat on her arm.

“Nope, not this time… I was so horny, well I’m still am, and you know how I am down there when the doctor sees me, and on the top of everything I’ll be sexually frustrated.”

Laura chuckled, but showing her an apologetic smile. “Sorry I could not give the release you wanted, but we could not waste time.”

“I know that.”

“You’ll be fine. And he is a doctor, can you imagine how many different vagina conditions he has seen over his career?”

“Vagina conditions?” Carmilla snorted.

“It’s like me and brides, after a while they all look the same.”

Carmilla laughed, feeling the tension weighting less on her. Only Laura could do that. She decided to lighten up the mood a bit too.

“I’ll be all hot and bothered while a dude insert someone else’s sperm on me… nothing can trumps that in sense of awkwardness.”

Laura laughed. “True.” She approached the bed, brushing gently Carmilla’s hair with her fingers. 

“I’m so lucky you’re such a nerd about this fertility stuff.”

“Yeah, you’d be lost without me.” Laura kissed Carmilla’s forehead. “I remembered when I was tracking my ovulations days back then, all I wanted was to have sex desperately on those days.”

Carmilla frowned. “Thank you for giving me the image of you wanting to bang your ex.”

Laura chuckled. “I would want to bang any women in a 50 feet ratio from me.”

“This doesn’t make any better.” Carmilla made a pout, her mind going to places it should not go. “Do you still feel like that these days… on your fertile days, I mean?”

Laura made her best thinking face to Carmilla. “Well, after a certain roommate crossed my path, all other women suddenly turned so dull.” 

A smile was back on Carmilla’s face. “So it means you only have cravings for said roommate?”

Laura nodded. “Yeah, isn’t that strange? I really don’t know what it means.”

And as the pair was still amused by their talk, Dr. Collins entered the office, bringing his usual good mood.

 

The procedure was very similar do the first time. The doctor didn’t mention anything about Carmilla “vagina conditions”, like Laura imagined. He was very professional and polite, leaving them alone right after it was done, giving his usual good lucky.

“Weird” Carmilla said when they were all alone. “Still weird.”

“At least it went on smoothly, if you know what I mean” said Laura with a wink.

“Well” Carmilla tilted her head to the side. “You can say so… yeah.”

“Other than that…” Laura stood up from the chair and took Carmilla’s hand again. “Anything different?”

“Nope.”

“So, I think this time I’ll be sending my baby making good wishes sooner.” Laura placed her other hand on Carmilla’s belly.

Carmilla smile back at her, covering Laura’s hand with her own.

“What we do now, Cupcake?”

“Now…” Laura kissed her cheek. “Now we wait.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely comments. Nikki, you're too sweet :)
> 
> This is where you can reach me outside AO3: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


	4. Wonderwall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla is facing again a hard time on her conceiving process, but some light comes from the most unexpected source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovely people,  
> This chapter took a long time to be done for a simple reason: that flow of new stories was not finding it’s way inside my mind. So I’ve been work on this chapter for around 5 months and only in this last week it came to me what it was missing and I got into a workflow I haven’t experience for a quite a while. Hope you all can enjoy it.

**Chapter 4 – Wonderwall**

 

It was an untypical Saturday morning at the Karnstein-Hollis household. Carmilla was flipping pancakes on the stove, while Laura was buried in papers, calendars and page markers on the kitchen table. And Riley was simply doing some doodles on the other side of the table, facing Laura.

“Cupcake, make some room for the food, I’m pretty sure you don’t want grease stains on your things” said Carmilla over her shoulder.

Laura was so concentrated on her task, she almost didn’t register what Carmilla was saying. “Just a minute.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, going to the other end of the table and setting things on a safe distance from Laura’s papers.

“Pancakes!” yelled Riley widening his eyes, forgetting his pencil to head closer to the stack Carmilla placed a bit far from him.

“Are you not forgetting something?” Carmilla asked to the boy raising one eyebrow.

Riley snorted and stopped on his tracks “I’m going to wash my hands first” he said defeated, heading to the bathroom.

Carmilla looked up to Laura, still merged on her papers and calendars. “I guess I can have all the pancakes to myself today”.

Laura raised one finger to Carmilla “I’m coming, just a second!”

Carmilla sat on her place and started to serve herself. She hated when Laura was doing extra work on the rare free Saturday they would have in ages. But that was not the only thing that was bothering her.

“I got it!” said Laura enthusiastic, standing up and turning to the food. “I was so late on our calendars that I almost forgot something very important.” She placed a kiss on Carmilla’s cheek before reaching for the pancakes and the mug of hot chocolate Carmilla made just for her. The corner of Carmilla’s lips was turning up slightly. “This smells so yummy, thanks Carm!”

Carmilla sighed feeling a little better.

“Can you believe your next ovulation period will happen around our anniversary? Maybe we’ll have to celebrate it at Dr. Collins’ office.” 

A frown was back on Carmilla’s face and her typical broodiness mood took control of her. Laura noticed the abrupt change and placed a hand over Carmilla’s arm, giving it a light squeeze.

“Seven years, huh?” Laura said along with the gesture touching Carmilla’s arm. “Can’t believe we are together for so long.”

Carmilla was smiling again, but she didn’t notice it.

 

*******

 

On that class day, Laura as usual was sat beside Helena. The strange thing was that Carmilla was a bit late from her usual time to enter the class. Five minutes after the class was supposed to start, Carmilla entered the room and went straight to the whiteboard. She wrote “Semester Paper Especial” and turned to face the class, after placing her things on the teacher’s desk.

“This class you can sit up with you partner for the paper, and work on it for 30 minutes. After that, I’ll only answer questions related to the paper. So be wise and take this time to see everything you need any clarification from me.”

The students were looking at each other and moving places to sit next to their partners. Laura was still looking at Carmilla’s expression, while her wife was sitting on her chair and paying attention to some book in hands.

“Mrs. Hollis seems stranger than the usual today” Helena side whispered to Laura. “I’m curious to know what sort of thing could get under her skin like that.”

Laura just shrugged not sure of what to do.

“Maybe some problem with the wife?” suggested Helena.

“Talking about her wife” said Laura starting her strategy to avoid the dig into Carmilla’s state of mind “have you ever imagined how she look like?”

A spark on Helena’s eyes seemed like a good result.

“I’ve seen her on a picture she kept on her office desk, but I can’t really remember much” she put her hand on her chin, looking for more memories of that unpleasant day “She was sort of dark blond, long hair…” she looked at Laura “like you!”

Laura grinned.

“And there was a toddler on the picture too, she said something about how he was bigger nowadays, and…” she shrugged “that’s it, that’s all I know.”

Laura considered that, more relieved she was not caught up. “Do you happen to remember if she was beautiful, or something?”

“That I remember” Helena said enthusiastic “she was gorgeous! I think Mrs. Hollis is really a lucky woman!” she looked back to Carmilla, hunched over her desk “But not so much today…”

Laura was having a bittersweet moment, but the she could not let the bitter take control. “Since we don’t have much to do or to ask about our paper - yes, we are two big dorks who have finished the paper before everybody else - I have some idea what to do to kill time.”

 

*******

 

After the class was done, out in the parking lot, Carmilla was already inside the car, just waiting Laura to get in. Laura took her seat, measuring her next words. Carmilla was driving in silent mode, another bad sign.

The first thing in Laura's mind was to ask "is something wrong?" but that seemed not a smart one, since it was obvious something was wrong. And she had a good bet on what was bothering Carmilla. What she didn't know was what she was supposed to say to her wife. In the 7 years she knew Carmilla, they never faced a situation like that, so she found herself in a very delicate moment.

"Why are you so quiet?" Carmilla asked her.

Surprised by the unexpected question, Laura took a moment to say something. "Ahh, the thing, I mean..." And then she went on a different direction. "What's wrong about me being quiet?"

Carmilla eyesided her "I'm pretty sure you know the answer for that, Cupcake" she said in a neutral tone, eyes trained on the street.

Not going so well, Laura thought to herself. "Yep, I do know..."

The silence was back in the air, and as Carmilla stopped on a red light, she nodded. "That bad, huh..."

"You tell me, Carmilla" said Laura dropping down her defences.

"I know this class sucked, but your silence is scarier than anything you can say to me, so please, say something." 

Laura took a deep breath and looked at street. "I don't think we should talk about it in the car."

"Really bad" Carmilla muttered to herself.

 

After taking Riley from Mr. Hollis house, Carmilla checked his homework while Laura was preparing dinner. They tried to keep the usual mood at the table, but even Riley noticed something was off.

“Mama, why are not talking much, like you use to talk every time we have dinner?” he asked with an interest look at Laura.

“Seriously, even you, little bugger?” Laura said while Carmilla was giggling with her mouth full of food. “And now you are laughing? What’s wrong with this family?!”

Riley started to laugh too and then Laura realised she was also with an open smile upon her face. She was back to sweet moment.

 

*******

 

In their bedroom it would be the moment for the both of them to get undress, take a shower and then hit the bed. But with something still in air, they only walked in and looked at each other.

"I know what the problem is, but I don't know how to talk about it..." said Laura taking a sit on the bed.

"I don't know either" Carmilla said facing her.

"So... what you want to do about it?"

Carmilla shifted her weight from one leg to the other e crossed her arms. "All I know is that I don't want to spend our anniversary on Dr. Collins’ office."

"You wanna to skip this month?"

Carmilla shook her head and sat beside Laura, placing a hand on her thigh. "No, but... just to think about that place makes my stomach to turn in distaste."

"Alright so, we can forget it this time, hang out with our friends on some expensive restaurant to celebrate... what do you think?" Laura asked taking Carmilla’s hand.

"I'm also not in a mood to be around people... can't it be just the 2 of us on the couch, with a large pepperoni pizza and a bad movie on TV while Riley have a PJ's party at Sophie's?"

Laura smirked.

"I know your plan sounds incredible romantic, but, don't you think we should, you know, do something special to celebrate it?"

"My mind is not in a place where I can think about anything special, really... "

Laura sighed.

Carmilla squeezer Laura’s hand. "So, we can do this. I'll let this in your hands, Cupcake, and you decide how we should spend this day."

Laura almost gasped. "Are you sure? You're not very good in handling surprises."

"I'm giving you a chance to surprise me in a way you know I won't be pissed... that seems fair to you?"

Laura looked amused to Carmilla.

"I wouldn't say fair but... okay, I'm OK with that."

"Thank you" said Carmilla kissing Laura’s hand.

 

*******

 

"I can't believe that with all the advance happening in science, no one can explain why the time seems to pass so slowly when you want it to pass very quickly" said Lafontaine to Laura while sat in Perry's chair, spinning from one side to the other of the office.

"I guess this has nothing to do with science, but just perception of time."

It was a late Friday and while Laura was working on her last tasks at the office, Lafontaine was submerged in pure boredom.

"Perception of time should be explained by science, because everything can be explained by science... well, in theory at least." They laid their head on the table, feeling tired from the intense zig zag with the chair.

"I believe even science can't explain things like, where we came from, or why my wife sometimes is so anti-social, but that's just how things are." Laura shrugged.

Lafontaine seemed to have heard an insult. "Carmilla being anti-social is just a trait of her personality, and we came from primitive species that evolved into homo sapiens because evolution" they said as a matter of fact.

With a defiant look, Laura faced them. "Where these primitive species came from?"

"From the first cell and billions of years of evolution."

"Where the first cell came from?"

They raised their head from the desk "I don't know what happened for you to be questioning the origin of the universe or Carmilla's traits, but it doesn't seem good at all."

Laura pondered that and approached her friend, dragging her chair closer to them. "You know about our journey to have a second kid, right?"

"I do, but all I know it's what you just told me. Basically."

"We are doing artificial insemination from the same donor of Riley. We did it 2 times and we were supposed to do a third time this month, but Carmilla is refusing to go to the clinic and do the procedure... she feels really bad and maybe even blaming herself for not getting pregnant."

Lafontaine sat straight up and totally change their facade to a more intrigued, “scientist alike” one. 

"How many times more are you able to do the procedure?"

"Just one more."

"So, if she doesn’t get pregnant this time, it's over?"

"Well, it's over the chance to give Riley a biologic sibling... but not the chance to have a baby."

They nodded and took a few seconds to form a theory. For a moment Laura thought they forgot about what they were talking about.

"I guess Carmilla is scared to take this last chance and end with all the hope for this sibling thing."

Laura shook her head.

"It would not be her fault if it was the case... and seriously, I don't care if the donor it's the same or not, or even if we adopt a child, but somehow this is taking a different toll on Carmilla than in me."

They nodded.

"You were successful on your first try" they said as a statement not a question.

"I was not 'successful' it just worked out" said Laura using her hand to do air quotes.

"That worked out for you..." they put their hands together while their eyes were reflecting the buzz of thoughts in their head. "You did it twice the same way with Carmilla?"

"Yeah... exactly the same way I did when I got pregnant with Riley."

"And you were 100% sure she was ovulating those times?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Of course, she did the test".

"Maybe you just need to change the variables to get a different result."

"What do you mean?"

"The clinic environment or the procedure is affecting Carmilla in a negative way..." they said as another fact. "Science also explain that conceiving methods are influenced by a set of psychological variations."

Laura was not sure what to say, but they continued. "Like you said, Carmilla doesn’t want to go back to that place again, not only because, I believe, it's freaking uncomfortable, but also because it can trigger her previous failed attempts."

Laura nodded not even noticing. "You are strangely making a lot of sense."

They did a smug face, putting their hands behind their head and stretching out on the chair. "I'm just putting 2 and 2 here... and, Laura..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what I mean when I say you have to change this variations, right?"

"I think I do..."

Lafontaine hunched forward with a bit of concern in their eyes. "Do you think I should put it into words so we can avoid any misinterpretations?"

Laura tilted her head to the side, looking attentive to them. "You mean that... we should do this in a more homemade way... right?” she finished the sentence with a high pitch voice.

They nodded. "Yeah, you got it, L." They raised their hand. "I think this calls for a hi-five, don’t you think?"

Laura was still with doubts on her face. "But... how exactly can I do this?"

Lafontaine laid down the waiting had. "As you can imagine I do know the answer for that, but I'm pretty sure your doctor can fill all the gaps in for you. Don't you think?"

Laura nodde, a bit more aware of the awkwardness of the situation. 

"Yeah, I do."

Like coming in a cue, Perry opened the door with a sign of relief on her face.

"I'm late, but I'm here, Sweety!" she walked in, towards them, making a dramatic entrance.

"I can honestly say that time ran out a little bit faster in the last minutes. And science still can't explain it" they said taking the peck Perry was given to their lips.

"Like the origin of the universe" said Laura.

"Let's not get back to that, L. I'm done with variables for the day." They looked back to their girlfriend. “I’m all in for going home with my lady.”

 

*******

 

Carmilla entered the living room, from the front door, with her eyes closed, both hands covering it. “Riley is at Sophie’s, the celebrations can officially start” 

Laura stood in front of Carmilla "Why are you closing your eyes?"

"I don't want to ruin the surprise."

Laura shook her head amused. "I'm not doing that kind of surprise."

Carmilla opened her eyes and looked around them. "Tell me again why I was expecting something big and bright?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "The giant cake was a one time thing, you can be sure of that."

"So, no cake, alright. What about the pizza and the bad movie?" Carmilla asked with a sweet smile.

Laura matched her smile too. "None of this either."

"I'm intrigued."

"Come here" Laura took Carmilla's hand and leaded her to the refrigerator.

"With no big cake you meant small cake?"

Laura opened the door taking out a silver cilindric bottle.

"That's the surprise."

Carmilla frowned. "A thermos?"

"Not just a thermos...."

Laura closed the door and gave the bottle to Carmilla. "It's our attempt number 3 to get you pregnant".

Carmilla lost her ability to speak for a few seconds.

"So... what do you think?" Laura asked in a tense but also happy and nervous tone.

Carmilla looked up from the bottle to Laura, and back to the bottle.

"This is like... that very last sample from the ginger donor?"

Laura shook her head. "Nope. In fact this is not the last one, I was wrong." She raised both hands in a surrendered gesture."When I called to the clinic asking for the last sample, they told me there was 2 left, so, this is not the end yet."

"And.. do you really know how to do it?"

"Of course!” Laura said with all the assurance in the world she could put into her words. “We have first to test if you’re indeed ovulating, if it is the case we start the unfrozen process and I’ll put the specimen in the syringe and then inject it in you” she took a beat to breath and check on Carmilla’s reaction. “Are you okay with me doing it with you?"

For a brief moment Carmilla showed a smirk. "For the record, I'd always be okay with you getting me pregnant, I'm just..."

"Speechless?"

Carmilla nodded.

"Did I surprise you?"

"Like you never did before" said Carmilla still baffled by the surprise, while Laura was feeling the relieve she was eagerly waiting for.

“Happy 7 years of marriage, Carm.”

“Happy 7 years, Cupcake.”

Laura explained to Carmilla all steps of the procedure in details. Carmilla ovulation test came positive, so it was the best day to do it. While waiting for the sample get in the right temperature, they went for the bad movie on TV. It was a terrible comedy called "Welcome to the Jungle" that even being a really bad movie, it brought some disturbing truths about living in a society.

"You were spot on on the bad movie" Carmilla said with her head laid on Laura’s lap, both of them perched up on the couch.

"Well, it was a comedy with Van Dame, of course it would be a trashy movie."

"For a moment I forgot what we were about to do" Carmilla commented taking the last bite on her pizza slice.

Laura looked down to her, combing Carmilla’s hair softly with her fingers "Are you nervous?"

"Not so much."

After more minutes in front the TV, the movie was over, so they got into “conception mode” for the next part of the evening.

They went to the bedroom with a syringe and a bow in hand, standing in front of the bed.

“So, this is it” Carmilla said turning to Laura. “Conception time.”

Laura nodded “Yep, not like straight people, unfortunately, but equally in a very intimate moment.”

Carmilla bit her lower lip and looked amazed to Laura. So many things in her mind she wanted to say, but the words was not coming to her, just feelings. Unable to do anything else, she took a step close and envolved Laura in a heart melting hug. Laura was a bit up tight, afraid to drop the things in her hands.

“I’m just afraid my clumsiness ruin the sample, is not that I don’t want to hug you, Carm…” Laura said trying to excuse her hesitation with the hug.

Carmilla chuckled and gave a step back. “Alright, I’ll behave better, Cupcake.”

Laura gave a shy smile do Carmilla and went beside the bed to place the bow aside, while Carmilla took off her pants and panties and laid in the proper position on the bed. Meticulously, Laura was filling the syringe with the content secured in the bow.

"It’s so little, I had no idea of that" Laura said looking at the syringe against the bedroom light.

"I told you you're not missing anything on having sex with men."

"Amen, sister."

Laura got herself in position climbing up the bed. She felt so calm and in peace, like she was indeed doing the right thing. She touched lightly Carmilla's calf and noticed how she was shivering. She tried to be very clinical about it, but something felt off.

Taking a deep breath she voiced her worries to Carmilla. "I think I never saw you like this, Carm."

Carmilla tilted her head up a little facing Laura. "I'm pretty sure you saw me like this a hundred times, Cupcake."

"That's not what I mean..."

Laura placed the syringe on the bedside table and and laid down next to Carmilla on the bed.

"Hey, are you nervous?"

"It's hard not be..."

"It's just me, okay? No cold white room, no male doctor inserting things in you."

Laura placed her hand on Carmilla's collarbone. "It's just me, ok?" She kissed Carmilla's temple and rested her forehead on Carmilla's side.

Carmilla raised her right hand, covering Laura's.

"And I'm so glad you're here."

Laura kissed Carmilla again. "And I'm glad to do this journey with you, I can't even imagine not being you with me right now."

Carmilla turned her head and kissed Laura's lips, reaching Laura's face with her other hand. A tear was dripping down Laura's face, watering Carmilla's hand. She parted her lips from Laura's and looked deep in her eyes.

"You have no idea how much I love you" Carmilla said with a soft voice.

Laura smiled back to Carmilla and decreased the space between them, kissing Carmilla again and cupping her jaw with her free hand. From sweet the kiss turned to a heat emotion crossing their bodies. Laura's right hand traveled down Carmilla's body, leaving a trace of goose bumps on the way. She grabbed Carmilla's shirt, and both of them pulled it out Carmilla's body, reuniting their faces again with another kiss full of love and desire.

Not much aware of her movements, Laura saw herself over Carmilla's body, kissing her neck and going down to her breasts. Laura put all of her feelings in every touch she gave Carmilla. A wave of a pure and warm energy was reverbering her body, as she was devoting her actions to praise Carmilla. Going further down with her mouth, she found the place Carmilla was yearning the most to be touched.

With her mouth and fingers, Laura noticed a different Carmilla under her. She was the total opposite of the tense and dried Carmilla waiting for that syringe with a strange shiver. And driven with love and passion she did her best to show Carmilla how much she cared and how much she felt lucky to be able to be that person for Carmilla. After some moans, Carmilla was reaching one the most amazing orgasms of her life. It was intense and so powerful she could not avoid the tears falling down her eyes. And as her body was heavy and pulsing with pleasure, she felt a sweet kiss from Laura on her cheek, and her delicate hands inserting the syringe in the right spot.

With eyes still closed, Carmilla felt Laura's breath hot on her cheek. And then Laura's hand caressing her belly.

“Was that also weird?” Laura asked, giving another kiss to Carmilla.

Trying to normalize her breaths, Carmilla let out a chuckle. “Not in the slightly…”

“Good to know.” Laura kissed her again. "Now we just need a little of love vibe to make the magic happen."

Carmilla just turned up the corner of her mouth, while her breaths and Laura magical energy was calming her down.

 

*******

 

Two weeks later, Carmilla and Laura was waiting to be called on the clinic's reception.

"I can't believe Lucy still works in here after all this time" Carmilla comment while holding hands with Laura, the both of them in a sort of love cloud since the homemade insemination.

"I can't believe she's still single, she is sort of cute."

"Are you pitying her now?" said Carmilla in a mocking indignant tone.

"This is not pity, I just feel sorry for her."

"You feel sorry for the woman who once hit on me right in front of you?" 

"That was ages ago, and I got my jealousy side in control.."

"Sure."

"Carmilla Karnstein Hollis, please?"

 

*******

 

"That's going to be the longest 24 hours of my life" Carmilla said sat in the passenger seat of Laura’s car.

"We can do what every single person usually do in your situation… get a drugstore test" Laura said like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"I'm not going to demolish these tests quality all over again."

"But do you remember what you told me when I was the one pregnant looking for a test?"

"That was my drugstore duty in action..."

"What’s your drugstore worker self would say to you right now?"

Carmilla snorted. "Buy 3 different tests, from the cheaperest to the most expensive one and try them all."

Laura pinched Carmilla’s left cheek. "I think that's a great advice."

 

*******

 

Carmilla and Laura were looking at different boxes in the drugstore shelf, reading all the possible labels.

"There are 5 hundred drugstores in our neighborhood and we had to come here.” Carmilla looked around to the place that once was familiar to her.

"I like this place" Laura said taking a box and placing it in the shop basket "It's the place where I met you".

"Well, looking at this perspective..."

 

*******

 

Getting back home, Carmilla hid the drugstore bag behind her back, before Laura opened the front door.

“We are home” Laura yelled at the door to the people inside the house waiting for them.

“Hi! How was things?” asked Perry being the first one to approach Laura.

“As good as it can be, if you consider Carmilla + needles.”

“Who said I’m afraid of needles, that’s nonsense” Carmilla said brushing away her hair with her hand, walking in direction of Riley at the living room. The boy was so immersed on whatever he was watching on TV, he basically didn’t notice his moms back home.

"Thank you two so much, you saved my life again" said Laura giving a group hug on Lafontaine and Perry.

"It' our pleasure, Sweety" said Perry.

"He is getting better than me in twist" commented Lafontaine bending their back "I really feel super old right now."

"Welcome to adulthood, Ginger snack" said Carmilla.

After more greetings and teasing, they both looked at Riley concentrated watching the TV with a mug of milk in his hands. Carmilla put her arm over Laura's shoulder. "I think we can say for sure toddle phase is over."

"He loves the TV more than us... we are the Simpsons" said Laura in a mocking whine voice.

"And soon he'll be out of this house with a crap suitcase going to get lost on Europe or nerding out at the fanciest University our money can buy."

Laura looked dead serious to Carmilla. "There will be no Europe option, Mrs. Hollis."

Carmilla tilted her head to the side in a faking hard-time looking. "You know he can do whatever he wants after he turns 18, right?"

"But there will be no Mamas' money for that."

"He can have summer jobs and save enough to burns in a few weeks in Europe."

Laura widened her eyes "Only over my dead body."

Carmilla turned looking at him again "Yeah, we are going to miss these moments."

"Our little boy..."

 

*******

 

"So I totally forgot about the part you should use the first pee in the morning" said Laura side by side with Carmilla sat on the bed, all the test's boxes opened around them."

"It's the way to have the best results and I'm all in favor of best results" Carmilla said reading yet another instructions paper.

"So... let's just get some sleep and wait for the morning."

"I don't know if I can sleep after this day."

"We have to..." Laura looked around. "Come on, turn off the lights, and lay down... we are going to sleep right now."

“Now you said that way, I’ll fall asleep in command” deadpan Carmilla.

Laura stood up and changed her clothes while Carmilla was looking at her with a sly smile.

“Maybe we can do something else that will make us really tired, so we can sleep like babies pretty fast” suggested Carmilla.

“Nope, sorry. Got my period this morning and also, I’m not really in the right mood” Laura said finishing her getting dressed act.”

“Ok…” Carmilla nodded to herself, “I think I’ll read one of that lame romantic books you own.”

“And keep the lights on? No, let’s just lay on the bed, we had a full day, it won’t take long for us to sleep, trust me”.

 

*******

 

“It’s not a matter if I trust you or not, but I don’t feel myself anywhere near to sleep, Cupcake.” Carmilla was laid beside Laura, eyes on the ceiling, while Laura was turned to her side of the bed.

“It’s been just…” Laura stretched out her head to the alarm clock “Geez, we are here for an entire hour? This can’t be right.”

“If I had read that book I wouldn’t be so awake.”

“You could have read and feel bored, but not sleepy, because the lights will block the production of melatonin so you’d be awaken than ever.”

“Are you going to Lafontaine this conversation to prove your point?”

Laura turned her whole body and faced Carmilla. “I learned from the best.”

Carmilla turned to face Laura too. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t use the ginger ale as support for an argument.”

“Who said I was talking about you?” she showed her tongue to Carmilla and gave her a playful slap.

“You’re lucky I’m a very ethical teacher who won’t use that to lower your grades… ”

“Should I be worried about my grades, professor Hollis?”

“Of course you should.”

Laura frowed “What do you mean by that?”

“That my class and my grades are super important, no matter what.”

Laura giggled and slapt Carmilla again. They both got in silence, just facing each other.

"Do you remember feeling anything different before you found out you were pregnant?" asked Carmilla setting a different atmosphere between them.

"Yeah, I did... in fact, I was having some morning sickness and that's why I realized it could be it... and it was it."

"Hummm."

"What about you, do you feel any different these last few days?"

"No... nothing different."

Laura felt bad for that answer. Not because she didn’t think Carmilla was not pregnant this time, but because Carmilla could be feeling bad about not showing any sort of side effect. 

She grabbed Carmilla’s hand and brought it to her mouth, giving it a gingerly kiss. She kept holding Carmilla’s hand while she felt time passing just like Lafontaine that day. And like that time, she could not found anything to explain that sensation.

 

*******

 

"Carm? You awake?.....Carm!"

“What, hey, huh…?”

“It’s morning, sleep head” said Laura giving another push on Carmilla’s shoulder.

“Not... a morning... person...”

“I know but... have you forgot about the tests?”

Carmilla raised her head in a fast motion and looked up to Laura.

“Yeah…” she looked confused at her surroundings. It was daylight, but very early morning. 

“Do you need a coffee or something?”

“I need to pee.”

“You can only pee on the sticks.”

“Right.”

“Come with me” Laura took Carmilla’s hand and leaded her to the bathroom. “Here, I got all of them out of the box, all you have to do is to pee on them.”

Still confused, Carmilla looked with a frown to Laura. “I’m not sure I can do that…”

“I’ll bring you the coffee”

“No” Carmilla said holding Laura by her arm. “Let’s just… help me out would you?”

With the help of Laura, Carmilla was able to use her first pee in the day to active the tests. Laura placed them on the sink and checked out her cellphone.

“We have to wait around 3 and 5 minutes for the results… should I set an alarm for 5 minutes?”

Carmilla shook her head as she was seating at the edge of the bathtub. “I hate any sort of alarm rings, especially in the morning.”

Laura bit her lower lip and after some beats an idea came to her mind.

“I know what to… tell me the name of a band or artist.”

“I can barely remember my own name…”

“So, it’s up to fate then” and she started to tap on her phone.

“Is up to fate what?”

“Whatever song plays first on my Spotify, with at least 4 minutes, it will be the one we will use to wait time pass and…”

Laura shuffled a playlist and tapped play. An acoustic guitar riff was the first sound they heard. She sat beside Carmilla and took her hand, placing it on her lap. As the song was playing, the lyrics filling up the place and the music progressing, Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand. Laura looked up to her and their gaze met, reflecting their emotions to each other. Carmilla stood up, pulling up Laura with her and then hugging her, taking some steps to one side, then the other, like some sort of slow dance.

_“I don't believe that anybody  
Feels the way I do about you now”_

_And all the roads we have to walk are winding_  
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding  
There are many things that I'd  
Like to say to you, but I don't know how 

_Because maybe_  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall 

Laura pressed herself tighter into Carmilla’s embrace, laying her head against Carmilla’s chest, being completely taken by song and the moment.

 

_I said maybe_  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall 

_I said maybe (I said maybe)_  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall 

_I said maybe (I said maybe)_  
You're gonna be the one that saves me (that saves me)  
You're gonna be the one that saves me (that saves me)  
You're gonna be the one that saves me (that saves me) 

After four minutes and 19 seconds, the song was over, but the emotions in their hearts, stronger than ever. Laura looked up to Carmilla, finding her serene eyes and not the ones marked with heavy sleep marks.

“Not matter what results we get, Cupcake, I’m sure you’re the one who saves me… always.”

Laura felt a tear running down her face and stretched her head to reach Carmilla’s lips in a tender kiss.

She took a deep breath and held Carmilla’s hands with her’s. “It’s time, my love.”

They face the sink and looked down at the tests. Laura knew by heart what a positive or a negative should look like at everyone of them. She barely got caught of the first one and her eyes were sprinkling with tears.

Not very aware of what she was looking at, Carmilla was instantly worried. Laura looked at the second and then to the third, the fancy expensive one, with an electronic display and show it to Carmilla, while her other hand was covering her mouth.

“Carm…”

And on the display Carmilla saw the word “Pregnant”. She took it to look closer and properly. Laura got the others 2.

“They all say the same thing, Carm…”

Carmilla was speechless.

“Yeah, Carm, you’re pregnant” Laura said attentive to Carmilla’s reaction.

Carmilla took the others tests Laura was giving to her, all saying the same thing: positive, 2 lines marked, even the “one-dollar-crap-test according” to Carmilla.

With no word coming to her mind or mouth, Carmilla opened her arms around Laura and let out a sob urging from her soul. Laura hugged her back. No words were needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say for sure that this chapter took the best of me to be the way it is. I’m so happy with the result and also with the boost it brought me to keep writing. I promise at least one new chapter before the year is over.
> 
> And all I ask is for you to leave a comment, so I can know if are enjoying the story or not.  
> See ya next chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> This is where you can reach me outside AO3: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


End file.
